Planning- SPB Productions initial film ideas

Planning- Mind mapping

 Here we used a brain storming website to help plan our film. the first brain storm is the mise en scene of the film. The majority of the mise en scene is for the characters, this is everything from the costumes, props and even the make up. It also has the pots and pans which lead James down the stairs. The second brainstorm is the plot for all three characters. It summarises what their role is in the film and why they are there. The final brain storm is the characters summary, it explains the three characters as a whole. such as if they are tall, small, young. old etc. Using this website really helped us plan our film and take note of what we have planned or not.

Planning- Demographics

Target audiences and demographics 

The target audience is who we are trying to sell the product to. This is part of the research as well as demographics, this is a specific group of people.

Charts 

This chart shows the percentages of women and men that go to see horror/thriller films. as you can see, more women than men watch horror/thriller films. Looking at this piece of information, this will help us with the making of our own horror/thriller as we know who to aim our product at. 

This graph shows that people from the ages of 18-24 watch more horror films than any other age group. This helps us to research the main aspects that 18-24 year olds enjoy most. This will help us to improve our film and make it more appealing to our target audience.

In comparison to the horror/thriller graphs, men watch more action adventure films than women, this shows that men prefer more of thrill, rather than being scared. This will help us if we make a action/thriller film as we know who are target audience will be.







This graph shows us that people of the ages of 18-24 prefer to watch action films in comparison with the other age groups. This assists us with the making of our film as we have further information into what target audience we are aiming for.

Planning- Sinister: Aspects of Thrillers

Sinister presentation from hipstertitch

Planning- Analysis of opening scene- James Bond Quantum of Solace

Analysis

At the start of the opening scene we hear non digetic sound, which is sound that is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be preset in the action. This sound in particular sets the tense mood of this scene.

 Next we see a rocky landscape, this is probably in an exotic place and is a mise en scene setting the scene for us. The type of shot used here is an extreme long shot which is used to set the scene, this combines with the music so that we know action will be involved soon - this type of shot is used so action should be thrilling to the eye.

 This scene then fades into black, we know now that this scene is in a different place. This is a cut in shot, a shot that cuts into a small portion of the scene, as this happens we see an extreme close up of the side of a piercing black shiny car. There is use of low key lighting which intensifies the mood of the scene, once this happens you can hear the use of digetic sound - the sound of the car.  As this small section of the opening scene goes on you start to see other parts of the car, the bonnet and the exhaust pipe.

  We next go to a cut away shot, this is a shot away from where the main action takes place, but is still setting the scene with a long shot.

  Then it takes us back to the car again with a cut in shot, but this time showing not only one car but two car boots. The shot that is used here is a close up, this shot frames the entire object to be looked at. The other thing that is shown in this scene is a close up of rattling bullets, this is a prop in this particular scene it sets the tone of the décor, showing that there will most likely be violence.

 As this scene fades into the next it shows a full shot of a car with two characters inside, a full shot which is the height of the frame is filled with an object or a human figure. Two of the characters are blurred, you cannot see them well so this suggests that they are not important to the film. The luxurious car that is in this in scene is another prop to the film and this also sets the tone of the décor, showing that the people in this car could be wealthy in some way.

 Cutting away from where the main action is again it still zooms in on the rocky landscape, but this time it is a full shot.

 Cutting back into where the action is, there is an extreme close up of the wheels, boot and then to the eyes of a figure, this is important showing that this is most likely the main character. Carrying on through this scene it starts to get faster and so becomes more tense, showing extreme close ups of the prop, the gun and then the hands. We know now that action will take place soon. The shot goes back to the key characters eyes, they seem confident and raring to go, this is part of mise en scene, as he is acting through his eyes.

 Cutting away again from the action it goes back to the road now which is a close up shot, and the non digetic sound gets louder as the mood gets more tense.

 Cutting in back to the action the non digetic sound finishes and the digetic sound takes over from the power of the car, as this happens there is a close up on the hand, accelerator and on the wheels as the car goes faster.

 Through out this whole scene you will notice there is no slow clip until the end, as this makes the whole scene tenser when action is taking place.

  The next shot is an extreme close up of the bonnet and the boot of the car as it races forwards, going into a new shot, a full shot of the car.

 In this quick snippet in the scene we see the action from a point of view shot. This shot presents action from the approximate view point of a particular character. In this point of view shot we see in the wing mirror a car with shots being fired, which then turns into a medium shot of a man firing a gun. This prop although its suggests power, could also show weakness in as much as he needs the weapon to be powerful.

 As the scene progresses, we can see that there is a extreme close up of the side of the leading car, which shows a reflection of two cars, this then goes into a pan shot. This shot is from one side of the picture into the other side, this then just shows the actual two cars firing.

 In these next few scenes we can see that mise en scene is costume. We can see that they are all wearing suits, this suggests they could possibly be wealthy from criminal activity etc.

 The next snippet shows a medium close up of the key character from side on, notice how we have not seen his face yet, this adds to the mystery of who he is.

 Throughout this opening scene there is a lot of use of low key lighting this makes it more dramatic and tense.

 We see another point of view shot of the men firing, also showing a full shot of the car in front. This progresses onto a medium close up of them and then a close up of some lorry wheels. Although the character in the lorry is insignificant, we still see inside his lorry and how he is struggling not to crash.

 Further in this scene we see the key character from a low angle shot, this shot shows below the eye level and this makes the subject seem larger and more powerful. We therefore know that this main character will be in power throughout this opening scene.

 There are a few close ups in this scene, as you get to see the acting through the characters faces. The way they struggle how confident they are or shocked etc, and this really does set parts of this scene, because other wise there would be no emotion and it would look wrong.

 As we progress we see a lot of shots of the main character: a medium shot, which is a shot from the waist up, a medium close up, giving a chest view of the individuals and close ups, which frames the entire object to be looked at. This links in with the acting through their face and body movements.

 They repeat a lot of the snippets so that you can see the entire action taking place at once.

 Once they reach outside, non digetic sound comes back in to set the mood again, hearing this is on, we know that the action will slow down soon, the shot used here is a full shot of all three cars.

 Progressing on with the scene we see more close ups of the cars and a few close ups of the main character, some shots focusing on their eyes in the car mirror, to show how focused he is.

 The next part shows a medium close up of the police officer, showing mise en scene with his uniform, showing his profession.

 When this scene is nearly over it shows a lot of cars going faster and faster, the following shots are used: full shots, close ups, medium shots and medium close ups.

Once they get to a construction site, you can see a lot of diggers and a few workers, which sets a new scene as they have been travelling for a while.

 As the police car gets shot down, and falls this is one of the longest parts of the scene so far showing that the action will come to an end soon.

 Near the end of this scene we see the main character in a medium shot reaching for his gun, once he kills the villains, we know that the action scene is over as the non digetic sound finish’s leaving just the digetic sound of the car falling.

 The non digetic sound comes back very calm, as the car slows down.

 Next we see a long shot of where they are now setting the scene once again.

 Although the scene is coming to an end when they reach this alley way, the lighting is still low key as the scene is somewhat still tense.

 Once the key character steps out we see a low angled shot of him suggesting that he is still in power but over what. When he opens the boot of the car we see a high angled shot of a man tied up showing that he is insignificant, weak and holds no power in this situation.

Planning- Space and Techno Thriller

Space and Technology Thriller 

This type of genre is a type of science fiction thriller, the type of characters that are in this genre is usually aliens and robots.
 In this type of genre there is a lot of advanced technology that isn't around today, also what usually happens in this type of genre is technology usually fights back and this is what makes a space and techno thriller.

This poster represents the space and technology thriller through its use of images, lighting and text.
 First the images that are used of the characters, you can see that the main character is the main subject in the poster so we soon know that he will most likely be the hero in this movie, he is also holding some type of gun, linking with the genre showing how some things that are not around today are used in this movie, showing that its set in the future.
 The lighting here is dark, probably representing space as there is stars on top of the darkness.
 The text is the last thing that links in with this poster, the type here is linking in as it looks futuristic and the colour probably represents blood, showing that there might be some kind of killing in this film.

Planning- Torture porn

Torture Porn

Here, is the poster that was used when analysing  the horror poster of Saw. Saw has the sub-genre of horror thriller. It contains aspects of horror thriller. The main character has an unsettling mindset, which could therefore give the viewer an idea that the film may be gory or gruesome. The poster however, we can see decaying limbs. They have lost their flesh-like color which could portray the loss of blood, therefore representing death. Further analysis shows that the toes on the decaying foot look severed. 

The use of a white background could represent cleanliness and purity.The white background also makes the limbs a main focal point. At the top of the poster, we can see a picture of a saw. This is a clear indication and representation of the film name. As a viewer, we can only suggest that the saw is the weapon that is used to sever its victims. The title 'Saw' is slightly off-center and is in a deep red font. Almost like its representing blood. The lines or slashes that run through and around the title look like cuts that may be inflicted on its victims. Overall from this poster we can see a clear indication of decapitation and death. We can see that it relates to the genre horror and can only suggest that it is going to be very gruesome due to the extremity of the pictures incorporated.

Psychological Thriller

Psychological Thriller

psychological thrillers have a twist to the common thriller, instead of the conflict being physical, it is mental and emotional. it is the main character that usually suffers through this type of conflict, and it messes with the audiences mind. This poster is an example of a psychological thriller film. the sixth sense posters colours are very dark, black to be precise. The black represents that there may be some dark times in the film, maybe some flash backs to show why the two characters are in conflict within each other. The main characters face seems to be showing a lot of emotion as he looks confused or even as he has seen his enemy that he is in conflict with. There seems to be a lot a light on his face, maybe this represents that he is not the antagonist in this psychological thriller film.

Planning- Erotic Thrillers

Erotic Thrillers 

The female usually plays the antagonist, she also uses power to exert power and is usually crazy. Also the stereo type that is used a lot in this type of genre is sexual objectification.

This poster links with the genre erotic thriller because of the characters costume, the lighting and the text.
 First the costume as you can tell you can see a lot of the characters are showing skin and you can also see that their all women so immediately they are being sexually objectified because of them showing skin. 
 The text here also links in as it is curvy bold, kind of like the women in the picture linking in with this genre.
 The last thing that links in with the genre is the lighting you can see the women being highlighted everything else is dark, showing how this movie will be dark and most likely thrilling linking with the genre, the women at the front is highlighted the most showing us that she must be the main character, knowing that the female is usually crazy and in power we assume that she must be as this is a erotic thriller. 

Planning- Crime Thriller

Crime Thriller    This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful or failed crime or crimes. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological action. Main things that happen in a crime thriller are: murders, robbery, chases and shoot outs.

 This poster represents the crime thriller as the use of colour the props and text all link to the crime thriller.
 The colour on this poster is red black and white the use of this colour makes the poster tense and also bold just like a crime thriller, the red probably represents blood so this is suggesting that there will be a killing some point in this film, also linking to the colour is the lighting making the characters here seem more serious and eery.
 Another thing that links in with the crime thriller here is the prop as you can see the character is holding a gun with great confidence showing that there will be violence in the film.
 The last thing that we can see that links in the typography on the poster showing the type being very big and bold linking with the main character showing how bold he is obviously showing some power not only holding the gun but holding power over the woman to as he is obviously bigger than her in this picture.

Planning- Action Thriller

Action Thriller

In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence and the obvious antagonist. These film usually contain guns, explosions and large elaborate sets. Contains elements of mystery and crime, examples of these types of genre are James bond and transporter.

This poster represents  the action thriller genre because of the props used and the background.
 The prop here is a gun representing the action in this poster, this links in with the background as this shows a image of the inside of a barrel of a gun.
 What also makes this poster a action thriller is the colour, showing how dark this movie will be, maybe symbolising death, sadness and loss.
 The figure here looks as if he is in power as he is dead centre in the middle of the poster, also the way he is positioned with the gun looks like he holds power over you.

Planning- horror thriller

Horror Thriller

In which conflict between the main characters are mental, emotional and physical.

What sets the horror thriller apart is the main element of fear throughout the story.

The main character(s) they are or will soon become the victims themselves.

The audience can tell by the low key lighting, the composition and the typography of the poster that it is in the horror thriller genre. 

 The dark lighting makes the character in the background look even more scary, this links in with the composition as the character in the background looks as if he exudes power  over the people in the foreground. 

 The colour of the text (red) is related with danger and blood, this also adds to the horror effect of the poster. 

Planning- Case Study Presentation

Case study presentation from hipstertitch

Planning- Lighting

Low Key Lighting

These are two examples of low key lighting, there are lots of shadows, the room is not fully lit which gives this effect across the face. This lighting is usually used in horror films for suspense and mystery. 

Direct Light Source

This is an example of a direct light source, direct light sources should not be used as they make the subject appear as a silhouette. Thats why artificial lights are used, it avoids any bad lighting in any scene.

High Key Lighting

This is an example of high key lighting, the subject is fully lit with no shadows, this is usually used in comedy films and happy scenes.

Planning Binary Structures

Age

Age is represented in the media institutions as younger people seen as being trouble making and violent. Whilst clever, they are seen as powerless against the middle aged man or woman. Where as elderly people are seen as very old fashioned, and out of touch with reality. Even though they are older, they are powerless  against the middle aged man or woman who are seen as the professionals, the ones who hold the power.

Class

 Throughout media companies, class is shown as upper class and lower class. The upper class are depicted as highly educated and keep to themselves socially, they are also seen as being very ignorant to the lower class, usually only interacting with the lower class on an employee level.
 However the upper class is shown in power but this is most likely false power, the lower/middle class usually hold the power.

Gender

In media the dominant gender is male, women are shown as weak and vulnerable but are also seen as a sexual objects.

If a woman does have power she would usually portray for example a corporate executive dominating over men at the workplace. At home she is expected to be the passive person, allowing men to walk all over her - therefore showing again how men are the more dominant gender.

Sexuality

In media homosexuality is often portrayed as ultra feminine or masculine depending on the gender. The work roles that are given usually for them are in either in the hospitality or industry based business, for example a designer or club owner.
The lifestyle that they usually hold is a party life style, sex drugs and drink.

Region

 Regional representations are often important to the ideals of mainstream culture. It is often very heavily stereotyped, for example Dagenham is a run down area full of crime and youths, which can give this place a bad name.

If regions are shown in this stereotypical often biased way, people will begin to believe what they are shown/told, and their opinions distorted. 

Race

Media companies portray ethnic minority groups as subservient in work roles. They are also shown as drug takers who are  involved in violence, and are anti social. They are often shown being aware of their inability to climb the social ladder.

Planning- Different camera shots and angles

Camera shots and and angles are used to create a variety of moods in film scenes or even television. These 5 shots show some of the various shots and angles in the film industry:


High angle shot

This is an example of a high-angle shot, this is used to make the object/person appear vulnerable, insignificant and innocent. also to make them less powerful.







Medium shot

This camera shot is a medium shot, taken from the waist upwards. It is better well known as the 'Hollywood shot' as it will almost appear in every single film.

Medium-close up

Also, there is the medium-close up. This gives a chest up view of individuals, this is used when two characters covert with each other on screen.

Full shot
This is an example of a full shot, the height of the frame is filled with the human figure.











Low-angle shot

This is a low-angle shot, it used to make the subject look powerful, and appear bigger/taller. It also hints whom the main character may be.

Planning- Mise en scene

Mise en scene is the French word for ‘setting the scene’. Setting the scene is key in any genre of film because if you do not have the correct atmosphere for that specific scene, it will not be successful. There are many items/objects that help to set the scene. First of all, they is décor. 

 Décor is the sets and props (left) the set is the important parts of any film as this is were the filming takes place. Props are any objects used in a film and this also helps to set the scene. There are also costumes, costumes is what the persons wearing, also, make-up is part of costumes. Costumes are important, for example, if you were making a film set in the 19^th century, it would be more successful if you wore the clothes that people did in the 19^th century, rather than wearing modern day clothes.  That’s why costumes are an important role mise en scene. Acting is also another aspect in mise en scene. Anything from your body language, to your facial expressions and hand gestures help to set the atmosphere. It will show the emotions of the character being played. The acting is what brings us into watching as we get drawn into the film and for the duration of the film, we believe that it is actually happening and we are involved in it.


There is also lighting, lighting also helps to set the atmosphere as it plays as a team with acting as it can show whether the room/set is tens, or happy or sad. Finally, there is spacing. Spacing is the distance from the camera and the position of the actors. If the actor was closer to the camera, you would imagine the scene was going to be them letting out their emotions or something similar to that. Rather than if the actor was a further distance, it would show that we are following them/following their progress.

Planning- Psychology of media

Psychology of media is the study of behaviour and the mind.
  Psychic Apparatus
   - Sigmund Freud (below) came up with the idea of psychology.
   - He says that there are 3 parts of the mind which control our behaviour.
   - ID: part of the brain that only cares about having fun.
   - Ego: part of the brain that is concerned about what others think (want to be judged).
   - Superego: negotiator of the two parts of the brain (makes decisions).
The protagonist (hero) and antagonist (villain) are usually hyper exaggerated, this is examples of good and evil.

Jacques Lacan: came up with the Mirror Stage and the Ideal I

Mirror Stage

- Infants do not recognise themselves as being an individual.
- At around 18 months, a child recognises that they are human, thus being an individual, and establish their interpretation of themselves. This is known as the mirror stage.

Ideal I

- We are not capable of thinking negatively about ourselves meaning that our way of thinking is correct, because we have nothing to compare it to.
- We have always thought of our thoughts as being perfect. 
- We picture ourselves as characters of the media world as it makes us feel good about ourselves.
- This is known as the Ideal I.

Laura Mulvey (left)

Her ideas were that everything relates to sex e.g. the gaze, scopophilia, gender and objectification.

Scopophilia and Gender

- The representation of gender is formed through how we look at characters and how they look at us in return.

Sexual Objectification

- Sexual objectification is through our gaze, females are portrayed as sexual objects. They are represented as being weak in many different ways.
- Males are seen as powerful.

The Gaze

- This idea of looking is what fulfils our sexual desires.
- How the gaze is constructed is also what helps to create a binary structure of gender.

Why do we watch?

We associate and disassociate ourselves with characters in the film. We basically see ourselves through the character on screen, or disassociate ourself with the character on screen because of the things that the character provides us.

Scopophilia and Voyeurism

Scopophilia is pleasure in watching and Voyeurism is sexual pleasure in watching when people are unaware of you watching.

Voyeurism 
- The idea of spying has become a staple in a film. This can be seen in a variety of ways literally and metaphorically.
- Voyeurism on set is where actors /actresses take part in voyeurism as they are meant to pretend that they are not being watched by film crews.
- Cameras in voyeurism act as a pair of eyes which capture images.
- Audiences and cinema- Audiences in cinemas act as voyeurs due to the nature of how we watch films.

Planning- SPB Productions introduction

Planning- SPB Productions introduction

For AS media, we are creating  a two minute opening of a thriller film. We are going to track our process throughout the year using Blogger, youtube and also Facebook.