Continuity Task - First Cut & Analysis

When making our first cut for our continuity task we realised there were quite a lot of problems wrong with it. Therefore we decided to make this our first cut where we could analyse and then build upon the analysis to see our strengths and weaknesses and then of course build on them to improve the continuity task. By analysing a first cut of our continuity tasks it allows us to realise where we went wrong and how we can improve our techniques, ideas, camera work, editing and more to make the overall product more professional. We expected that this would't be amazing as it is our first attempt at making or using any of the camera or editing work that we research and learn about. Therefore we aren't too disheartened about our first cut due to us realising we can improve and its our first attempt. However we want to do better and analysing this first cut will help us massively.

In the following images it show the layout for the software we used to construct and edit the clip. This program is called Adobe Premiere Pro CS6. This is an extremely professional piece of software that the high end of the marketing, film making and advertising industry use. The following images also show the timeline which the clips were placed on in a certain order to create the clip as well as the tools such as the razor tool and the toolbar. However so far all we have used is the razor tool to cut down certain parts of the clips. Furthermore, I luckily already knew a few things about Premiere Pro and all round Adobe as I like editing, graphics and I also do Photography so I therefore knew the basics of what to do which helped our group.

Premiere Pro timeline, constructs the order of the individual clips for the actual whole clip to presented in the order shown, as well as this can create layers in other clips, media and sound.

The preview screen tile in Premiere Pro of the main clip being edited.

PIcture of the entire Premier Pro layout.

Premiere Pro tool bar with the razor tool highlighted.

Picture of imported media section where it stores the media that we use in the clip.

Analysis of First Cut - Problems & What we're going to do:
Some of the main problems we faced when looking back on our first cut was the fact how we didn't include low or high angles shots to show the dominance and the protagonist in the shots. This is a very important part of filming as if you don't have high or low angles in the clip then you cannot establish who the main protagonist or whether someone is superior or inferior to someone else in the scene. Furthermore we also realised that our recording quality was very bad as the camera was never perfectly still and every now and then was slightly nudged or it wasn't completely level. This made our clip look extremely tacky and home made because it just looked as if it was taken on a home recorder by a friend at Christmas as to say. This is no the look we want. We want professional still shots that are level and composed well. As well as this we made a stupid mistake of crossing the 180 degree rule after studying this rule for a long time. This was a very idiotic mistake that we should be getting right. This crossing of the 180 degree rule happens when Hannah runs into the cafe and is seen seating on the right hand side of Georgia. However when filming the shot reverse shot Hannah is then seen on the left hand side of Georgia which ruins the atmosphere of the film as well as the scenes of the audience as they are now seeing the actors from a different angle that shouldn't be shown as it ruins the viewers understanding of positioning on the scene. On the other hand we also had a seen of one girl (Sarah) walking into the cafe which takes way too long and makes the seen boring. This is because nothing really happens and we're just seen watching her walk in and then sit down. We then realised that this should have been broken down into a match on action shot, breaking it down into 3 separate shots of walking in, maybe using high angles to show how she is inferior t the two other girls. This should be presented with a contrasting shot of the girls laughing with a low angle shot to show how they are superior to the girl walking in, with a cut back shot to her going to sit on her own as she is depressed and lonely. This would have improved the clip considerably and made it much more professional as well as making it clearer to the audience what is actually happening in the sound. Sound was also a problem as we realised we could hear others in the background and the noise of cafe, however there wasn't much we could do about this. Therefore we now realise we need to be more careful planning when and where to film as the surrounding sound or lighting cold ruin a scene. Furthermore our teacher then picked out a very important aspect of our filming that we needed to change. We were recording each of the shots but when we were recording we kept trying to zoom in and out of the scene to try and track the character and keep them as the main focus. This looked incredibly tacky and unprofessional, not only because you shouldn't do this, but also because it was done terribly with it jolting and not a smooth gradient zoom. As well as this zooming made the clip very unprofessional and lazy as we should have positioned the camera correctly first and therefore having no need to zoom in or out. We tried to zoom in to keep the character as the main focus, however we now realise we just need to get our margins of the shooting area that is seen on screen as well as where we should place the camera. Finally I noticed that some of the scenes were very jumpy and didn't run smoothly into each other to create a real time clip that looked legitimate. this is something that need to be sorted in the editing stages.

After analysing the first and looking at what was wrong with it as well as what we can and will do to improve; this therefore allows us a group to highlight our weaknesses and stay away from them. As well as this we can now see what not to do and what we should've done and now that we will go and re shoot the shots again we can stay away from these errors and make sure we make a better clip with all the things we need to do in mind and therefore make sure it is acceptable for viewers. By analysing this I have also learnt how hard filming and editng is of a clip especially because this is not even 1 minute and films are hours long so it just shows how magnified it really is and how hard it is. As well as this I now know more technical terms and shots that I can incorporate within our clip to make it more professional. This task has helped a lot with the understanding of editing and what we need to do to improve. Which we will show our improvements in or re shoot of our continuity task.

Continuity Task - Day 2

Day 2 - Re-Filming:
Today we went out having to re-film scenes that weren't up to a good enough quality whether it be bad filming, sound or acting. As well as this we still had some scenes we had to shoot. This went very well and we got the shots we needed. We then put this up on to computer and added to our Premiere Pro saved file. This was a much more efficient day with more progress and better quality. I think this is because we knew what we had to do and how to do it. As well as knowing how to use the equipment correctly.

Problems We Faced

Some of the problems we faced:

• We realised that a lot of scenes were mis-shot with heads being cut off in shots and the camera shaking at certain points.
• We also realised some scenes were shot with the actors wearing different clothes
• Furthermore we realised the overall quality of the previous shots and clips were not good enough

Solutions

Our solutions to our problems:

• To resolve these problems we then go the actors and team together to re-shoot the scenes as then fit them into our timeline of editing.
• We also took more time into planning how we were going to shoot scenes and spent more time on the shooting.

Continuity Task - Day 1

Day 1 - First Filming Session:

The other day we had our first go at filming and getting to grips with the cameras, technology and tri-pods. We had to get used to the equipment and learn how to use it all before we went ahead in our first task of filming our continuity editing tasks. This was because none of us knew how to setup the camera or the tri-pod. After this we then went on to filming our scenes using what we know about editing and filming. Furthermore after we finished filming we then had to be shown how to take the raw footage off the camera and put on to the computer ready to edit in Premiere Pro. We then looked back at our footage and realised a lot of it wasn't what we expected as we now knew it was much harder than we thought it would be. We then knew we would have to re shoot a lot of the scenes or in fact the entire movie as what we had filmed was not up to a good enough standard. This made us realise how hard it really was and how much effort we would have to put into completing this task at a high standard to meet the target grades.

Problems We Faced
Some of the problems we faced during our first shoot were:

• availability of actors and location - this was hard as we had to film our scenes in the school and we wanted to base our scene in the cafe, however this was a very busy place and luckily it wasn't too busy at the time and we luckily manages to acquire some willing actors to take part.
• gathering of actors - we had to find people willing to take part in our filming as some people were shy and some people were busy at the time.
• lighting, due to our time schedule in the day - for example on the day it was especially bright and we had our scene based by one of the tables which was by the window and we then had to put down the blinds to stop the sun from getting in to our shots, however this still didn't provide the best lighting
• noise, because was set in a busy cafe in our school - this was extremely annoying and impossible to control as it was a public cafe in the school where there were other people in their leisure talking etc. and this was leaked into the clips.
• our knowledge of use of the equipment. e.g. zooming, positioning, tripod set up etc. - this we found hard as we didn't have any knowledge on the use of any of the technology

Solutions

Some of the ways we got past our problems:

•  We managed to find willing actors that were free and could participate in our task, and we managed to re-shoot scenes that we needed around their schedule and meet up when they were free to get the shots we needed.
• For the lighting we decided to put the blinds down to reduce the light which helped the lighting however we couldn't control it well.
• Noise level was impossible to control and we couldn't do much about it but we tried to film at times when there wasn't much talking.
• We then found out how to use the equipment properly and slowly learnt what was the proper things to do by getting shown and getting used to the technology.

Continuity Task - Brainstorms and Shot List

On the first day we started to come up with ideas, the plot, characters, and settings by brainstorming. Furthermore we then started to add these ideas into a shot list to create the story and how we would film it.

We decided our idea was going to be a group of girls sitting in the cafe and then one of the girls out of the group runs over to them to meet them, the girl that runs over then tells them some shocking news about another girl in the school. They then get really shocked about it and see her coming into the cafe. They then turn around to look and she walks in and sits on her own because she's depressed about everybody finding out. The girls start to laugh at him and it then ends there.

I thought this was a good scenario to reenact due to it being a short story and it has action in it which would add to the fact of it being a thriller. Furthermore this scenario can inherit a lot of shots to be used as of the heir achy in the group and the other girl.

Continuity Task - What To Do

In media we started to plan for our continuity editing task. The continuity editing task is to storyboard and script with a range of different shots from a shot list - aiming for a completed piece approximately 60 seconds in length.

For this we had to come up with a shot list, ideas, locations and actors, shoot the film, edit it, re-shoot and re-edit if necessary as well as blog the activity of the research, planning and evaluation throughout.

You must not break the 180 degree rule
You must include a shot reverse shot
You must include a variety of appropriate camera angles
You must edit so that the continuity is apparent and clear
You must include more than one location
You must include some interaction between characters

You must include some non-diegetic sounds

The 180 degree rule

When I first read the task list I didn't know what a 180 degree rule was. Therefor I looked online and found this picture and definition.

In film making the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be framed right of the second character, who is then always framed on the left.

From this picture I now understand how a 180 degree works. If the camera crossed the axis it would disorient the audience who are watching. 

How Is Evilness Represented In This Scene?

In this clip of Star Wars we see evilness represented in many ways. For example through the way Anakin develops through the scene. When we first see Anakin enter the scene its a shot of his aircraft landing in with an extremely low angle shot to make him look superior. This shot has been used to make him seem heoric and as if he is there to save the day. Just before Anakin enters there is loud dramatic symphonies as well as digetic lightsabre noises; this loud audio immediately stops when Anakin is seen landing into the scene to emphasize his entrance. Following this loud trumpets start up and the tempo slowly increases to suggest that the tension is increasing. This could also infer that the evil is rising within Anakin as he progresses from being heroic to then turning evil. The loud roar of the aircraft's engines accompany this with the increasing parallel sound as it gets closer to signify his arrival and the start of his downfall to evil.

This entrance is very contrasting with the end shot of Anakin on his knees and the old evil man leaning over. This highlights how evil is now controlling him and this is shown through the fact he is on his knees begging to evil as the old evil man can be seen as an icon to evil or the devil - as if he represents the peak of evil.The fact we see Anakin in the end of the scene on his knees begging to evil proves to us how evil is being represented as bad as before he was seen as heroic and bold entering the scene and now we see him in a completely different light as we are now looking down on him and we realise that evil has done this to him. This is odd as at the beginning the old protagonist is seen as a respectful man sitting at the table over the city with the natural light behind him lighting up the scene. This then contrasts with he same end scene as he is seen with a long shot with him standing over Anakin as well as the city as it is in the background with only artificial light lighting up the scenery. This is to emphasize the change in character and how evilness has progressed through the clip. The fact he was the old protagonist and scenery was once lit by the natural light and now by the artificial lighting in the room suggests how he has now become fake and even more how evil is a bad thing as if it is fake, as nature is good and something you need in life so the fact this fake artificial light is what comes out on top proves evil to be bad.

Anakin again enlightens us on evil within the clip and how it is represented as he progresses through the clip. we can see this in the way he is presented at the start and end. For example he is at start portrayed to be heroic and good as his hair is light and his face is lit up with expressions of distress when he reacts to the conflict as if he is against it. However as the scene progresses the light dims and the darkness increases as the light sources get destroyed in the fight which makes Anakins appearance darker with his hair and darkness across his body. This shows the spread of evil. This is then reinforced with the loud non-digetic sound building up as the darkness and fight increases as if it is reaching its climax as the plot thickens. Anakins face then changes and becomes eviler as he reacts to the conflict with a angry expression. Anakin then gives in to evil and the pressure as evil is seen throughout slowly taking over Anakin until he gave in and saved the old protagonist. Evil is therefore shown to be very persuasive, sinister and sly. After Anakin gives in he completely sacrifices himself to evil which emphasizes my previous point of evil. When Anakin then sacrifices himself to evil he completely changes mood. He then gets down on his knees. This imagery of him on his knees with the old protagonist leaning over him and darkness pervading the scene highlights how much Anakin has changed and the effects evil has on him to cause his state to change so much, we can see this through his body language, the dark lighting, long shot to capture the scenery and the destruction of the conflict and furthermore what evil has done.

Evil is therefore presented as a bad influence that is a pervading theme throughout the clip which becomes more powerful as it progresses as if good was first on top and then in the end evil wins and causes complete destruction. The scenery, mise-en-scene, make-up and lighting in the ending scene prove this to us and shows the contrast from the start of the clip where evil was not present. Evil is almost seen as a presence as the clip progresses as it is represented through the old protagonist and Anakin.

Analysis of Donnie Darko

The establishing shot is a dark scene of mountains and trees which fade in to the shot. This could connote to how it is a thriller as the scenery is very mysterious as its situated in the middle of nowhere causing the audience to feel curious and intrigued as to where the scene is. The camera then pans round to a shot of a boy lying in the middle of the road in the distance. The pan shot is used to show how vast the area is and how it is in the middle of nowhere. The long shot is used to emphasize how the boy is lonely. The fact the boy is still and laying there could imply he is hurt or maybe dead. This carries on the idea of curiosity and how this links into the films being a thriller. The camera then starts to get closer and closer to the boy with him constantly remaining in the center of the screen; this could suggest how he is the main protagonist. We then see the bike i the shot and him struggling to get up which could connote how he has fallen off his bike or had some sort of accident. The camera then pans round the protagonist with a mid shot and him the center of the screen, capturing the scenery in the background as well. As when it pans round him we see the scenery in the background showing how desolate the area is and how lonely he is. This pan of the protagonist then comes round to his face which reveals the main character that we were so intrigued to see. It then cuts to a POV shot of the scenery again panning around yet again top show how he is the center of attention and how deserted he is to the rest of the world. yet again to emphasize how in the middle of nowhere he is and as if he the only one there. He then turns around to the camera to face the camera and blocking the scenery which could connote how is of an important role to the film. He then grins and starts smiling at the character and then walks out of the shot for the title of the film to then fade in. The fact that he grins and smiles at the camera could suggest a sinister tone to the film and create more curiosity to film as to what it is about or what is going on in this scene. The typography of the title that comes into the shot has a strong fantasy and magical theme to it with white against the scenery in the background to create a contrast in the light and dark. This typography gives the movie a mysterious and magical tone to it. With the unusual use of serif font in the thriller which goes against my research of typography in thrillers. The lighting of the film suggests the start of it as it is very mellow as if it is dawn and the day is just beginning. The fact the boy is also wearing pajama like clothes it makes him come across as lazy or a typical adolescent that doesn't care. The bike reinforces this as a bike is something children use whereas men have cars stereo typically. His messy hair and casual appearance reinforces this to the audience. However the scenery juxtaposes this appearance as it is beautiful and something you would have to go out your way to get to or find. Making it a binary opposite. At the beginning of the film violins play quietly in the background which creates a uncertain start to the film with the edgy sound which began when the character came into view which reinforces the fact that he is the main character and is important as he signaled it. When the character starts getting up a piano softly begin to play which could imply a negative or depressing tone to the film.

Mark Scheme

By looking at the mark scheme it can give our group a good understanding of what we need to aim for and achieve as well as what we need to do to get those bands. I think this is a good thing to do .as it allows us to realise what we need to do and give us a clear sight of a our goals.

British Thrillers - History of Alfred Hitchcock

1920-1930's

A man called Alfred Hitchcock made his first thriller (the third silent film in 1926) this film was called 'Lodger'. It was one of the first thrillers to be made and is about a landlady who suspects her new lodger is a madman killing women in London. 

His next thriller in 1929 was a film called 'Black mail' this was notable for being his and Britain's first sound film. From this point Alfred Hitchcock was known for producing thrillers.

There were also many other notable British directors who produced thriller films such as Walter Forde, Victor Saville,  George A. Cooper and the young Michael  Powell up to the years 1940.

1940's

Alfred Hitchcock went on to direct more suspense thrillers, in this year he produced two films in which one was oscar winning. These films were 'Foreign Correspondent' and 'Rebecca'. Rebecca being the oscar winning film. In 1941 he went on to release a film called 'Suspicion' and then released a film called 'saboteur' in 1942 and 'Shadow of a doubt' in 1943 which was one of Hitchcocks own personal favorite.

1950's
In the 1950's was when Hitchcock started adding technicolor to his thrillers, as the time changes you can see the development. Strangers on a train, made in 1951 is about a psychotic socialite who confronts a tennis star on how two complete strangers can get away with a murder, a theory that he plans to follow through.

1960's

In the 1960's the film Psycho was released. This film was one of the most well known thriller film ever directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is recognised and praised as a piece of cinematic art by international film critics.

Modern Day Thrillers
Most thrillers now borrow themes and elements from those in the past, but to avoid repetition they often use ideas and aspects from other genres such as horror where they add things in such as sadistic violence/gore etc which is why some people mistake thrillers for horrors. This is when we get sub genres and hybrids.

From reading this research done by a member of my group I now know more of Alfred Hitchock and his history throughout film making, British film industry and the thriller genre. As well as this I now realise the impact the British film industry had on the thriller genre as well as Hitchcock himself.

Summary of Questionnaire

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16jhLZsNIGKDPn-d8wotbGSSxFaCTFccNs8RcYlomqQU/viewanalytics

From the summary of our target audience questionnaire I have learnt that our target audience consists of: Male, 16-18 year olds, who are white, British, students, who watch thrillers that excite them and create suspense and involve action. They expect to see the following in a title sequence: The title, music, actors names, name of the production, makers of the film names such as directors, animation and clips related to the film. The top colours related to thrillers are: Red, Black, White and Blue.

Questionnaire

Please fill in the questionnaire if you get the chance, thank you.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16jhLZsNIGKDPn-d8wotbGSSxFaCTFccNs8RcYlomqQU/viewform

Thriller Sub-Genres

When thinking about doing a thriller opening we have to consider what type of thriller we are going to us as over the years they have become more developed and more types and variations have been created.

Conspiracy Thriller - The conspiracy thriller is a sub-genre of thriller fiction. The protagonists of conspiracy thrillers are often journalists or amateur investigators who find themselves pulling on a small thread which unravels a vast conspiracy that ultimately goes "all the way to the top. 'Edge Of Darkness'

Political Thriller - In a political thriller, there's usually a problem where the whole government is at stake and the protagonist is hired by the government to stop the decline, an example of a political thriller: 'The Interpreter'

Crime Thriller - Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies. 'The Bourne Ultimatum' Action Thriller Includes normal conventions of the thriller genre but focuses on action and usually includes explosions/violence etc, an example of an action thriller: 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Mystery Thriller - Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective,private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The plot often centers on the deductive ability, prowess, confidence, or diligence of the detective as they attempt to unravel the crime or situation by piecing together clues and circumstances, seeking evidence, interrogating witnesses, and tracking down a criminal.

Psychological Thriller - A distinguishing characteristic of a psychological thriller is a marked emphasis on the mental states of its characters: their perceptions, thoughts, distortions, and general struggle to grasp reality. Psychological thrillers are suspenseful by exploiting uncertainty over characters' motives, honesty, and how they see the world. 'Silence Of The Lambs'

From reading this research done by a group member I can now see the difference in some of the main sub-genres within the genre Thriller. This therefore will add to my research and knowledge on thrillers and help me to add to our group when deciding what genre of thriller we should have for our personal thriller title sequence. Furthermore I now know the codes and conventions of these particular sub-genres and what is typical of them, as well as some examples of them.

Music In Thrillers

Thriller is a genre of literature, film, video gaming and television that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. The best examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Sub-genres include crime thrillers, mystery thrillers, paranoid thrillers, psychological thrillers, and horror thrillers.

I am now analysing 4 different titles sequences' music throughout them and comparing them to one another. With this I am seeing if there is a trend in the type of audio used in Thrillers or if there is a variety. My aim is to find out as much about the sound in thrillers by analysing these following four movie title sequences: Inception, Shutter Island, Seven & Limitless; and from this hoping to gain knowledge in what is typical music of a thriller which my group and I can therefore go on to use when creating our own for our title sequence.

Inception:
loud dramatic symphonies
building up
repetition
loud dramatic build up fades out to loud waves
ambient sound of waves
sound of children in distance
ambient calm tide coming in
eery sound developing
calm eery beat with calm tide
loud shriek/scream of a child in the middle of peace
sudden noise



Shutter Island:
long orchestra sounds
sharp sounds
deep loud sudden sounds
loud to quiet
repetition
build up
deep horrific trumpets and symbols
small sharp blips
replica siren sound



Seven:
lightning and thunder like sounds
static sounds
repetition
computer generated sounds
robotic
sci-fi sounds-space
sudden sharp sounds
radio tuning
strange sci-fi/space fake eery music
constant beat
music layering
fast beat
non-digetic narrative or speech
quiet end



Limitless:
silence
loud bangs
sudden sound
quiet ticking clock in background building up
banging getting slightly faster
quiet speech in background begins
louder bang and narrative starts
mellow melancholy quiet noise
faster banging and mechanical drills
digital sounds
non digetic up-beat music
quiet low sounds
parallel foley sounds of police cars
parallel sound and gun shots

(I couldn't find the opening scene or sequence on youtube or the internet so I instead watched it using my DVD that I have because I've already seen and have the film)

When looking at all four of these opening sequences collectively we can see there are a lot of commonly used aspects of music in the thriller genre. For example I can happily say that repetitive deep melancholy downbeat music is used a lot. As well as the use of it being quiet or silent. Furthermore there is a high use of ambient, foley, parallel and non-digetic sounds. This brings me on to the narration or  voice over of the main protagonist which we only hear in one of the four examples; however from personal experience I know that this is in fact used commonly within thrillers. This loud, deep, mellow sounds are repeated through the thrillers as seen in the four examples, along with the build up of the sound level rising. This is to reflect the tension in how it is rising and coming to a climax, therefore raising audience suspicion, tension, anxiety and mystery.

Typography In Thrillers

Inception:
The typography used is set in a bold, san-serif font, and is red. This makes the title stand out from the background images. The text has a large font size adding to the clearness and boldness of the title. The colour red is associated with anger, blood and danger which connotes that this thriller film involves action. The colour red can also connote love and desire in this thriller. 

Shutter Island:

The typography used is set in a bold, san-serif font, and is red. The style of the fonts looks like the text has been blurred. This connotes that the film involves hidden identities or actions that should not be scene.  The large font size and the colour of the text makes the title stand out from the background images. The text has a large font size adding to the clearness and boldness of the title. The colour red is associated with anger, blood and danger which connotes that this thriller film involves action and murder.

Black Swan:

The typography used is a serif style of font. This symbolises the elegant aspect of this film, as serif font styles are commonly associated with females. This connotes that the target audience for this film is woman. The font size is large to make it clear and bold to read. The black text colour links to the title of the thriller and connotes a dark or evil sense to the film.

Casino Royale:

The typography used is a san-serif font with a blurred ultra blue effect. This connotes a hidden identity or criminal offences, that should not be seen, involved in this thriller film. The blurred effect connotes speed and pace to the film, suggesting this film involves action.

Taken:

The typography used is a san-serif font to connotes masculinity. This suggest this film involves action and violence. The white text colour with the large font size and all the letters in capitals, makes the tile bold and stands out from the background. 

Se7en:

The typography used is a san-serif style of font which makes the title bold. The white text with the large font size an the text in capital letters, adds to the clearness and boldness of the text from the background images. The font also has a blurred effect. This may connote crime and hidden identity as blurred images are commonly associated with things that should not be shown.
The number '7' replacing the 'v' in the typography links to the title of the film and makes the title unique and creative. 

Identity:

The typography used is a serif style of font with a black to red colour fade/gradient. The colours red and black connote: anger, blood, danger and darkness within this thriller film. The colours also link to the images shown above. The large font size make the title clear to read and bold and outstanding from the white background.

By reading through this research a member of my group has done I have now learnt the regular themes throughout the typography used within thrillers. As well as this I realise that it may differ depending on a certain sub-genre or the time the film is set or made in. I can see that san-serif font is confidently used a lot which tells me they might do this to create a bold and more masculine appearance rather than with the feminine look with serif fonts commonly used in comedies and romance.

Analysis of Thrillers

Psycho - 1960 - mystery/horror/thriller:

The first thing we see is the company the film is representing which in this case is "Paramount Release"  which can interest the audience as it was not seen to present a thriller. In the background we can hear upbeat music which creates tension for the audience. Hitchcock is the first name to appear on the screen which suggests he is the most important. The name of the film then moves across the screen which creates tension


Seven - 1995 - crime/psychological/mystery/thriller:

"New line cinema" is the first thing we see as it is the company the film is representing which is typically how all films open with. We then see someone opening a book which is unusual in a thriller as a lot of fantasy or childrens films have the opening of a book. However, the book used is unlike a fairy tail book as it is empty as in has no words or pictures. This could give the effect of making it look suspicious to the audience and therefore reinforcing the fact they are about to watch a thriller. The music playing in the background is very tense and eerie. On top of the music we can hear digetic sound of the pages of the book being turned which suggests it is significant to the story. The music contrasts the book as it is intense yet the book seems quite boring as there is nothing in it yet at the same time quite the book and the musics contrast could be quite intriguing. The typography used for the names of actors and crew is filmic and looks like un-neat handwriting which gives it a creepy feel. We then see a drawing of a pair of deformed hands which again could make the audience suspicious of why they have been drawn, and who ever drew the hands are clearly artistic and detailed. A shadow then moves across the scene and we hear a door creaking as the light moves over the drawing it brings the focus onto it. Jump shot is used as we see different images of unusual tools which suggests the character is planning to make something. 'Brad Pitt' name is parted and flashes to bring focus and attention on the actors name for audience recognition and interest. There is then a split second scene where we can see writing on a wall which says "D-35" which might give the audience clues if it is relevant later on in the film. The last thing we see is someone scraping their skin off their fingers which makes the audience uncomfortable and wonder why someone would want to do that and what must of happened to make them do it.



Limitless - 2011 - mystery/sci-fi/thriller:

The music played throughout the opening is quite upbeat and new which reinforces the fact it is a modern type of thriller. We see images of planets and stars when showing which company is representing the film which in this case is "Relativity Media", this denotes the film is going to be a science fiction thriller. There is then a close up shot of a crystal ball which gives the idea of looking into the future - again a sic-fi feel. the first name to come up is Bradley Cooper, this is shown in the bottom right corner where actors names are typically shown in openings of films. the typography used is white, bold, capitals which stand out from the background and makes the audience focus on the name. Unlike most of the thrillers I have previously looked at, the main colour used is blue which gives a mysterious feel to it. It also suggests the film is not going to be dark or scary. We then see the crystal ball moves across the screen at the same time revealing an actresses name. This could connote mystery and hidden meanings within the film. Jump shots between names of crew and actors creates tension and excitement. Producers and crew names are only shown for a few moments which is less than actors as to show importance for the audience. The name Neil Burger is shown at the beginning and the end of everyone elses names to show how important he was i the production of the film. The music fades out and the screen goes black to confuse the audience as this would normally happen at the end of a film. We then hear bangs in the background which reinforces the mystery and tension. The screen then lights up and and we see a metal door shaking. This intrigues the audience as they now want to know who of what is behind it which makes it thrilling.

(We couldn't find the opening scene or sequence on youtube or the internet so we instead watched it using my DVD that we have because we've already seen and have the film)

Casino Royale - 2006 - action/crime/thriller:

The first thing seen in the title opening sequence of Casino Royale is the main character (James Bond) suddenly turning and shoots the at the camera. then blood from the top of the camera starts to pour down. This creates tension as the audience feel that they have been shot by this character, which connotes that this film involves action. The gun fire from the pistol shot triggers the music to the title sequence. The music creates tension and excitement as it is includes an orchestra including: trumpets, symbols, an electric guitar and loud, heavy drumming, which builds drama and a thrilling tone. The first text seen in this title sequence is "Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions LTD. presents".This is the production line that made the film and connotes that this is the most important information as it appears first on the screen. .It can also connotes that the audience maybe familiar with this production line from other films and therefore know they are watching a good film.The font is in a san-serif style, with capital letters and a white text colour. This makes the text clear and bold. The blood then merges into the background of the screen and images of hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs appear, suggesting this film is about gambling. During the images is the name of the actor that plays the main character of James bond (Daniel Craig). The music then fades as the title of the film appears on screen. This builds tension and excitement and connotes that this is the most important information of the title sequence. The music suddenly begins again with the electric guitar and images of a silhouette of the main character sitting on a pattern, related to casinos and gambling. The names of the actions then start to appear on screen in white colored text and capital letters. This helps to make the name bold and clear. More images of the silhouette of James bond appear loading his weapon with imagery related to gambling and cards, not bullets. More imagery related to gambling and casinos appear with weapons firing card types not bullets. The music becomes fast and has a higher tempo which creates a exciting and thrilling tone to the sequence. Along with the music is multiple scenes of James Bonds and a bad guys silhouettes fighting and James bond winning which shows he is the antagonist, the hero in this film. This connotes action and violence in this film. More names appear on screen such as the producers, costumes and make-up, casting directors, editors and all people who made this film, names. Images of targets appear on screen which when the bad guy fall on, reveals a roulette wheel, linking to the subject and title of the film. the bad guys are being killed with cars types such as: diamonds, clubs hearts and spades. Which connotes killing and action takes place during the time in casinos. Patterns and cards form the background for the title sequences all relating to the subject of casinos. The card, seven of hearts is the main  focus of the screen and bullet holes have shot the card to form the famous letters of '007'. The card is the seven of hearts, which connotes love in this film as well as action. The silhouette of James Bond appears and starts walking toward the camera. The face of the silhouette slowly fades away revealing the face of Daniel Craig who plays James Bond in this film. This build tension as it is the first time we see the face of the main character. Along with this image is the name of the director. The single piece of text connotes that the name is important and makes the text bold and clear. Suddenly the face becomes black and in-sync with the music. This connotes the character has an hidden identity as a spy.



Taken - 2008 - crime/action/thriller:

The first thing we see in the title opening sequence of Taken is a party hat saying happy birthday. The scene is shot using a hand held camera. This connotes that this is a family or home video. As the scene cuts to a young girl with her mother opening presents, music starts to play. The music is from a piano and is calm and peaceful. The first piece of text we see is the production who made the film. The font is in a san-serif style, with capital letters and a white text colour. This makes the text clear and bold. We then hear laughter as the young girl opens her present to reveal a horse and smiles in joy. More text of information appears on screen. The music becomes more tense and thrilling as the next scene reveals the young girls cake being handed to her on the table. The camera zooms on the top of the cake and the number 5 placed on top. The camera is fluttery and creates a thrilling tone along with the quite music in the background. We see the small, young girl blow out the candle of her cake which then reveals the next scene of the main character sitting, asleep at home in darkness. This connotes that this character was watching the home film on his television. The character wakes up and text appears on the screen. The text is a name, which suggests that its is the actor that plays the main character in this film (Liam Neeson). By this scene the music has stopped and we only hear diegetic sound. The next scene shows the audience the character sitting at home, turning on the light and holding a picture. We see that the setting in which the character is placed is basic. We see Chinese takeaway boxes left on the table which connotes that this character is unhealthy and maybe poor. We see more text appear with the names of the writers of the film. During this scene is the character picking up and holding a piece of paper with the word 'karaoke' printed on. He gets up and takes the piece of paper. As the character passes the camera reveals the picture frame which the character was holding. The picture is of a girl on a horse. This connotes it is the young girl grown up and connotes that she is his daughter. This gives the audience a sense of realisation in the film as they figure this out. During the shot of the picture frame is the title of the film in bold text. This is the end of the title sequence as the scene changes to an outside setting, and continues with the story.



Evaluation:
From all this analysis the rest of my group has done it now gives me an insight into the thriller genre and their title sequences as now I can read through this analysis of the title sequences and realise the key codes and conventions as well as the aspects we need to incorporate in our own title sequence for a thriller. Furthermore this analysis allows me to compare them with each other and see how the codes and conventions differ and see whether this is because they are different types of thrillers or directors style. This is because I have realised all films are shot in different ways and made in different ways depending on a lot of things, including: directors style, target audience, genre, age restriction and many more reasons. So this analysis allows me to ask myself this question and think about why something has been done in a certain way. e.g why has this sound been used here and then not here? etc.

Age Resctrictions

What Is the Difference Between a 15 and 18 Rated Certificate?

In films there are different age certificates due to the content in films and what the BBFC deem acceptable for certain age groups within Britain. This is due to certain scenes and footage within films like language, violence and the content of the films. This is then analysed by the BBFC and other age rating companies in other countries to decide whether a film is a 15 or 18 etc. They do this to stop certain age groups seeing content that is too explicit for their age. For example if you are 14 and trying to see a 15 film, you wont be able to as you will need to have ID to prove you are 15 to buy/rent or watch the film anywhere. This therefore applies to the other age groups.

A 18 Certificate contains:

• very strong violence
• frequent strong language and very strong language
• strong portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• strong horror
• strong blood or gore
• real sex (in some circumstances)
• discriminatory language or behaviour (e.g racism or homophobic)
• drug taking.

A 15 certificate contains:

• strong violence
• frequent strong language
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references
• discriminatory language or behaviour (e.g racism or homophobic)
• drug taking

This research that I have have used from a member of my group is very useful to our overall research as it allows us to understand the boundaries in the film industry and see what we can use in our clip if we want it to be either a 15 or 18 rated clip. As well as this it gives us an insight into the audience and how censorship works, additionally what audience we should target depending on our chosen age certificate. From this research I learnt this and learnt the different aspects of these classifications.

Furthermore, after this I went on to then look into each of the categories within the age certificates to see what they were defined as and examples of them were:

Nudity:

Nudity in the form of sexual content can be shown but not in thorough detail with only the basic appearance of it and to certain audiences, as well as this nudity can be shown regularly as long as it shown in a plain ordinary manner and not presented in a sexual way.

Drugs:

Showing drugs in films are acceptable, however it is how they are presented that is what makes it wrong and right. It can only be shown if they are shown in a bad way, showing them being misused and not advertising them and persuading audiences.

Horror:

Horror is allowed to be shown to a certain extent, e.g you can't show someone committing suicide as people can get ideas and think it is acceptable and certain scenes cannot be shown in detail as it is too explicit.

Discrimination: 

Meaning the media cannot endorse discrimination in the form of language, behaviour, what is displayed or portrayed. For example discrimination such as disability, race, age, sex etc.

Sex:

Sexual scenes are allowed without detail, although they should not be aimed to arouse or pleasure the audience but just for the story etc.

Violence:

Violence is allowed in case and can be strong violence as well as sexual violence in some examples. however gory violence or overly dramatic probably will not be.

Language:

Strong language is allowed and most language is allowed in film throughout, however if it repeated to become an item or a phrase that is easily absorbed by the audience then it isn't.

Thriller Genre Research

My Research Into the Thriller Genre, Hybrids, Sub-Genres and the Evolution

Thriller Genre:

The thriller genre is the type of films that use intense excitement, suspense, high level of anticipation, anxiety and tension. Thriller and suspense films are literally the same types of films with the same features and categorizations as each other.

The aim of a thriller film is to leave the audience constantly on the edge of their seat in suspense and anxiety with cliff hanging experiences as the plot builds up to a climax. Tension usually arises when the main character is dealing with a mysterious situation from which either he could be in trouble or escaping on some dangerous mission that seems impossible or shocking. When their life itself is threatened and they are in the unknown or not expecting something when in or potentially involved a dangerous situation or atmosphere. Thrillers usually involve characters that come into conflict with each other or with outside force.

Thrillers are often sub-genres of the genre ‘thriller’ as there are so many varieties that also fit into other genres. For example:

• action-thrillers (Kill Bill - 2003)
• sci-fi-thrillers (Donnie Darko - 2001)
• psycho-thrillers (se7en - 1995)
• romantic-thrillers (Live Flesh - 1997)
• political-thrillers (Malcolm X - 1992)
• psychological-thrillers (Requiem for a Dream - 2000)

Horrors are commonly closely related to thrillers. As the horror genre are designed in the same type of way - to provide the audience with intense suspension or tension, however horrors take their audiences through agony and fear. Suspense-thrillers come in many different ways: there are murder mysteries, chase thrillers, women-in-danger films, courtroom and atmospheric, plot-twisting psychodramas. Thrillers tend to stay away from crime, gangster and detective related plots and rather focus more on the suspense and thrill of the film.

Thrillers include such characters as convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassin, innocent victims, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and more. The themes of thrillers frequently include conflict, terrorism, conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder or danger.

The reason there are so many different sub-genres of thriller is because within one thriller there may be other aspects of say a romance, horror, sci-fi or any others. This may be because of different directors intentions or their target audiences; furthermore even down to the evolution of genre or thrillers to be exact in which films are now being changed to set to the current time in which they are made or evolving to the new likes and dislikes of the mass.

Evolution:

The first thriller was made in the 1920’s with a film called ‘The Lodger’ by Alfred Hitchcock which was made in Britain. This therefore brought a new type of film to the world. HItchcock took influences from German expressionist techniques as well as murders by “Jack the Ripper”.

Thrillers then in the 1940’s changed when director George Cukor in 1944 created a psychological thriller called ‘Gaslight’ which gave insight into the different sub-genres within the thriller genre itself. This film was about a scheming husband planning on making her wife go insane to gain the inheritance. Then in 1946 Robert Siodmak directed the film ‘The Spiral Staircase’, which was also a psychological thriller about a serial killer murdering disabled-young women in the local community.

In the 1950’s Hitchcock went on to adding Technicolour to his films, which led to the classic film ‘Strangers on a Train’ in 1951, where two passengers join in a battle of wits and exchanged murders with one another.

Cape Fear was then made in 1962 by director J.Lee Thompson which is a psychological thriller about an ex con seeking revenge on his attorney who holds responsible for his convictions. However this film had aspects of crime too which made it a crime-thriller and therefore emphasised the use in sub-genres within the thriller genre.

The 1970’s of film were very different as Hitchcock hadn’t released anything for 2 decades. where he released the violent film ‘Frenzy’ which came about when films were now containing R rated scenes with viscous and explicit footage which Hitchcock therefore used in ‘Frenzy’.

In the 1980’s  Stanley Kubrick directed the film The Shining made in 1980 which was a psychological thriller as well as a horror, mystery and drama. This therefore emphasises the mix of genres and how thrillers evolved over time due to the change of other genres and audiences enjoying psychological films. The Shining is about a family going to an isolated hotel where the father gets influenced by a spiritual presence, while his psychic son sees horrific and violent memories of the past and future. This film can be debatebly a horror or a thriller.

The main theme throughout the thriller genre in the 1990’s was the psychological kind, of mental themes and character’s escape. For example Rob Reiner’s ‘Misery’ based on the book by Stephen King in which the character Annie whom is a unbalanced fan, terrorizes an immobile author, where in one scene she actually breaks his ankles. This shows just how much the thriller genre had evolved by then as before it would be too horrific for a thriller to even show such scenes let alone any movie.

In modern day thrillers compared to earlier thrillers tend to divert from the traditions of a classic thriller towards the more horrific and gorey themes. This is because the mass audience have become so desensitized to the classic thriller scenes that they find it boring and therefore need something else to keep them intrigued and ‘on the edge of their seats’ with anticipation like thrillers should do. This is why thrillers and any other genres evolve as they need new aspects and ways of keeping their audience’s happy. Therefore this is why the thriller genre has evolved the way it has and how I have said turning from the classic thriller through psychological to a more horrific theme where it seems to be argued to cross over in cases.

Sound in Films

Parellel sound - music that matches what you see in the film

Contrapuntel sound - sound that opposes what you see in the film

Sound bridge - when the music from one scene carries on into the next

Ambient sound - sound that you expect to hear in a location e.g. traffic

Foley sound - everyday sounds that ate added to a certain clip

How is sound used to create tension in the 2Fast2Furious clip?

Use of parellel sound like up paced action music to create energy in certain monents. For example when all cars escape.

Use of ambient sound such as car engines and sirens to show the tension and excitement/energy in the scene (loud noises to create this). Engines starting show ignition and the start of the escape which is a signifier.

Contrapuntal sound when the sirens coming in and out of the scene and hearing them because the police want to gain/regain conteol of the sccene however the other cars engines over power the sirens and are heard instead of airens at certain points to show they are controlling this part of the film, however moments of sirens show polive trying to regain this control.

In the clip of 2fast2furious the director uses parellel sounds. For example up-paced drum and base music to create energy in certain sections if the scene, for example when the police chase the escaping cars into the alotment garages. However this music then stops when the cars dissapear and te police surround them to build on the tensuon and this is what silence does. It builds tension and allows the audience to reflect; it is almost used as a breather for the viewer. This silence is aconponied with the readying narrative and aounds of the police engines, helicopters, shouts and sitens to show their reinforcement and control over the situation of the cars being trapped in the building.

However this then changes when the music then starts uo again when the garages open and themusic fades in as other cars then approach the exits and rive out to show the igniotion of the escape as if it is showing the tension and the silence has led to this escape. The up paced music with teumpets etc. Then acompanies the mess and havok of the cars racing around and escaping as well as the loud car shift changing sounds to emohasise this energy; the use of shoft changing sounds being really liud is contrapuntal sound as normally we wouldnt be able to hear this, however it could be used to show the point of view of the driver and have more of an effect on the audience to make them feel energised and there as you would only be able to hear most of these small car nouses when deiving or in the car.

What Is the Purpose of Censorship?

What is the purpose of censorship?

Censorship is used within media to provide guidelines in media texts so the mass audience isn't provided with explicit content. This is why The Hays Code was introduced in the 1930's as motion picture producers etc realised the authority and trust they had on their shoulders. So they took the burden on their shoulders to recognise their responsibilities to their audiences and the public as their media took an affect on peoples life's and the way they were. This meant they decided what was allowed to be shown and what should be censored. This was because  they realised that some things were deemed to explicit to show. So for example in the 1920's you were not allowed to show scenes of misusing the american flag, white slavery, or using words such as "Christ". However now this is all considered okay. This is because over the years these have slowly been taken in by the public through media allowing the use and them unconsciously becoming used to whatever is being displayed. As what they're displayed they feel is correct and okay. This then makes us ask what should and shouldn't be censored and where can we draw the line. As well as this it makes us ask the question as to who should be allowed to choose what is censored and have this power to choose what is theoretically right or wrong in society and shouldn't be consumed by the public.

As well as this music videos currently are a great example of why media is censored. We have people like Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and many others that use explicit content in their music videos. They have even gone to the extent of on some videos adding an age certificate to stop people below that age watching such videos. This is because music videos are normally meant to be okay with all ages and entertainment for all ages to watch. However in modern day we have women walking around naked and singers using harmful words in their songs meaning it has to be censored as usually these videos would be aired in daytime. These music videos are now censored to stop certain ages from watching some of the aspects in their videos and conforming to them and copying their ways of these bad habits and picking them up.

This then links in to watershed and the reason of it. The UK watershed is 21:00. The reason we have this is because usually kids from a young age go to sleep before 21:00 meaning after that time programmes on television can air content with more adult and explicit content. The reason for this is because kids cant be provided with programmes using language and scenes of explicit ideas otherwise they will get the wrong idea and use these ideas in their life and think it is acceptable to do or say what they are. This is why there is a watershed to stop them from seeing such things as adults are more mature and can handle themselves as well as realising what is right and wrong in society.

How does it suggest we are a passive audience?

This can suggest that we as an audience are passive because we are unconsciously falling to these subliminal messages being sent by television, film, and radio producers or directors etc. This is because when we are are shown something we don't realise it but we take note of what we have seen and categorise it in our head. So when we hear explicit language constantly used everywhere we start to think this is acceptable without consciously thinking it or engaging with the media. This is because we become used to things and eventually conform or copy what we see or hear, whether we intentionally engage with it or not. The reason we are a passive audience is because we are just so stubborn to our senses are tend to ignore the bigger situation. As we realise something is either being sent to us a message yet we just take it in and go along with media instead of asking question of why is this not allowed to be shown and even if there was something horrible shown we would't complain as eventually it would be shown more and eventually we would become used to it as passively we are becoming used to it and not really knowing what is right or wrong as its just what the media has portrayed to us, instead of our own thoughts as we are constantly being led by the media and injected with their opinions instead of our own.