Sound research (Hubert Osinski)

Production and Distribution companies

Genre theory: Dystopia research

18th December

Over this week we have completed a risk assessment of our location in the main reception area in our college which has allowed us to be certain that the location is safe to use. Today, i have just finished my Potwoon on the topic-Online tutorials and responses, but i am having some difficulty uploading it onto my blog. We have edited our Preliminary task and we did not find many difficulties with this exercise apart from the fact that it took Will time to edit the love heart with the shot of our actors. Finally, we have decided that because we are creating a Dystopian sub-genre it is essential for us to represent the lawless society and the destruction of nature through the title sequence, which is why we have uploaded shots of dead berries and leaves onto Final Cut pro. As this is a Thriller genre we are keen on creating and exploring with different ways of building tension, so when it comes down to our main filming days we will try out different shots and edit using different sounds until we find the best ways to  create suspense and produce a climax. Over the Christmas break i will continue with my blog and collect more newspapers and tin cans.

Friday 11th December

Despite the fact that we were not able to use our first choice of toilets due to safeguarding, we have now sorted out another location. Also, we have completed our shot list, so at the moment all is going well, but the only issue is props because we are struggling to get enough tin cans and newspapers. However, because we think that we will film after Christmas, we believe that we will have enough.

Possible film titles:

Here are possible f ilm titles:
Run.Run.  SURVIVE-This title would connote how the character always has to move from location to location in order to survive. We think that if this title was chosen it would link to the humorous aspect that is represented through our main character.
Kill! Survive! And have a good time... -This title would also provide the audience with pleasures, however even though this could also be quite catchy we think that it would not specify the plot and connote the Thriller genre like the one above.
Man vs Cannibals -We think that this title would be positive because it would connote the binary opposite that is significant within the plot and it would also represent the feud between sane humans like the protagonist and the previous sane humans who are represented as weak and hungrier for any kind of food available.
Survived -This title was what we were aiming around at first because it would simply connote the characters race for survival. Nevertheless, the weakness is that because it is in past tense this would connote that he is successful and has survived, but it could also connote that he has survived once, leaving the audience with tension because they would be unaware whether he would survive again.
After time-This title is our favourite at the moment because it clearly connotes the futuristic time and possibly connotes the negative lifestyle the people live in.
'X'-This title is strong because it would relate to the specific blood types the sane humans are, else they would have become human eaters. As well as this, this word would increase audience anticipation because they would not be clear upon the meaning of this title.

In the end we decided to use 'After Time' because as a group we favoured this title and it suited the serious and climatic feel. Also, as we decided not to incorporate a sub-genre of comedy, we were certain that the first two options could not be used. Additionally, 'X' was too vague and 'Man vs Cannibals' as well as 'Survived' actually seemed to be too specific.

Media confirmation for our location

 

We have agreed to using the location, but we are going to incorporate mise-en-scene to improve the set design and to connote its grimy and used condition. The only issue was the size compared to the other toilets, but it is still a good location because logistically it means that we do not need to collect as many props and fill as much space.  

Nielson-Audience research

Using this link, http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/popcorn-people-profiles-of-the-u-s-moviegoer-audience.html, I have been researching information about the audience in film during 2013, via a writer called Nielson.
According to Nielson and the National Research group, I have found out that 70% of American's ages 12 and older have been reported to see at least one or more movie in the last year. Also, the demographic statistics have remained consistent over the past, but this website also states that the younger demographics, aging between 12 and 24 and the older demographics (65-74) are increasingly watching more moving images. This is said to be at the expense of the middle demographic, but it could suggest the higher income they have to expense and link to the fact that these ages are less likely to be working in a full-time job. As well as this, although there were more female audiences watching movies than males, (51%-49%) in 2012, men account for 55% of theatrical attendance.



This website also states the different reasons why audiences go to the cinema in comparison between to being Hispanic (of Latin American or Spanish origin) or not:

This clearly suggests that Hispanics and Non-Hispanics think similarly, in the way that the larger percentage believe 'that going to the theatre is important in spending time with family and friends'. Whilst, the lowest percentage of both of the audiences think that they 'would only watch movies at home if they were available immediately.' As a result, this implies that the audiences prefer to go to the cinema because there is too much tension to wait for the movie to come out on DVD.

Shot List

Friday 4th December

This week our production has developed as we have begun a shot list ready for our filming and we have now found a toilet suitable for our moving image, but all we need to do is ask whether we are able to use this location and complete a risk assessment in order to prove that it is safe to use. At the moment our group has no issues apart from the fact that we need to try and film most of our production before Christmas because obviously we are not able to film during Christmas as we require the toilet within Countesthorpe College.

Storyboard

Target audience profile

A target audience profile is a primary research task that allows our production company to understand our target audience and what they might be interested in. We still want to attract the female audience, meaning that we will research into conventions this gender prefer, but we will also use our audience survey to discover what the female audience thinks about our production and what they would like to see. This would increase our audience range. However, we think that we would attract the teenager demographic the most because of the age of our protagonist and the overall concept of the plot.

Focus Group

Influential figures update

I have updated this Prezi and now I have uploaded videos of my influential figures talking about the productions they have been involved in. This has been beneficial because it has increased my understand of moviemaking and now I think that we could be more creative. For example, possibly use a non-linear plot. This was present within our product because we included a flashback, subverting the chronological order.

Tuesday 1st December

During todays Lunch we recorded our focus group of four boys. Unfortunately we were not able to use a camera, therefore we had to use a voice recorder. This meant that the footage will not show the audience reactions through facial expressions, instead the voice will be critical. Now we have to import it onto Final Cut and then we will edit it.

Final online questionnaire analysis

This secondary research involves the collection and analysis of audience expectations, successful developing our understand of what they expect and would like to see.

Monday 30th November

In this lesson I completed the representation theories, Will carried on with the Final online questionnaire, whilst Hubert began the final pitch. Then I went on to emailing Fiona about our focus group interview and this is now set for Tuesday lunch in English 1.

Theoretical research: Representation Theory

Focus Group email

Will Guy sent out this email after I had received confirmation of an English teacher.

What is our target audience age?

From the BBFC website we have realised the suitable age rating. We have decided to aim our Dystopian Thriller towards this demographic because even though our opening will not include much violence, we feel that due to the action that we plan to incorporate within the flashback and the overall concept of our idea this age rating is best suited. Despite males being our main audience gender as they are stereotyped to prefer violence we will still try to attract female audiences through the use of mise-en-scene and our idea. Furthermore, we vision the main character to be quite confident and to use derogatory terms to connote that he is not a true hero which will allow our production to be against the normal conventions.

Friday 27th November

Today, I completed the prop and costume ideas on www.bubbl.us and I also emailed Jenny about filming our focus group exercise in an English room, whilst Hubert did some more sound research and Will planned out a focus group email which is ready to send out, but we are waiting for the confirmation from Jenny. Also we decided what research and planning tasks we will do each to complete the work. Our aim is to finish this by at least next week.

Costume and props ideas

This planning has been useful because it has enabled us to have a clearer idea of our ideas. However, in terms of this, our impulsive and selfish protagonist did not wear Army trousers because we decided to use jeans instead to provide recognisable pleasures for a formal mainstream target audience. Also, we never used the bread because the shot that showed this action was ineffective and we discussed whether to incorporate a bin, but we found that this discovered the messy connotations and decreased our practical space-we were already struggling.

Theoretical research: Narrative theory

Wednesday 25th November

Will carried on with analysing our final online questionnaire, whilst Hubert and I came up with questions for our focus group for an interview on Monday lunch.

Tuesday 24th November

In this lesson I took on the role of completing the narrative theory, however my mac did not have have enough battery so this meant that I had to stop completing this and go onto something else. So Will and I decided to discuss the flashback and we checked out one of the toilets in our school as a possible location and we came up with the conclusion that it will work. As a group we decided upon some of the props we will use and the costume of the main character. We are keen on creating a humorous protagonist (similar to the new 'Deadpool' from the trailer) however, we will not completely focus upon this because it may loose the Thriller aspect and it won't necessarily provide the audiences with pleasures.

Theoretical research: Auteur theory

Theoretical research: Genre Theory

Monday 23rd November

Today, Hubert did sound research, Will began analysing our final audience survey and I have nearly completed my genre theory, but I just need some more information. We have decided that we are aiming to finish of most of the research by this week, next week we will focus upon audience and after that the filming and planning stage. Obviously we will come back to improve everything though.
We also discussed the issues with the locations, because even though we only require a simple empty room with a mirror and possibly a toilet we are finding it hard to find an appropriate place. However, we have back-up plans that won't be as effective but they are still similar to what we desire.

Form research (Will Guy)

Deadpool's influence

This trailer is beneficial in the way that it has offered our production company another way of representing our protagonist. This weekend, i was watching this trailer and i suddenly thought that it could work if our character was like this because this is non-conventional and will add humour as well as audience pleasures. I came up with the conclusion that 'Deadpool' was a cool, lazy, cocky and relatable male, so i believe that if our character includes these aspects he will be successful and likable. Nevertheless, we have decided that we do not want to go into this with too much detail else it will subtract the Thriller aspect and we are aware of the fact that humour is hard to produce. But we think that these characteristics and non-conventional aspects will ultimately be successful and we have a similar target audience to this moving image.

Media Glossary

Media Glossary

 

 

 

 

As I desire to improve my media knowledge within key terms I have done research through different exam boards and websites to develop. Here are my findings:

1. Bedding Music (radio)=Instrumental music played behind dialogue/action/speech, generally in live programmes. Often used to identify purposeful repeated segments for example in News Reports.
2. Billboard=A large, outdoor display board used to display advertising posters.
3. Media Convergence=A process whereby progressively fewer individuals control shares of mass media, instead Companies converge to produce the best outcome and so it is easier to achieve targets.
4. Cross-head=A centred sub-heading.
5. Cut=Transition from one shot or audience sequence to the next, either joining or separating scenes.
6. Distribution=Process of making sure feature or short film is available to screen in a film festival, cinema and onto DVD. It is preceded by the production stage and followed by the exhibition stage.
7. Edit=Footage that a Director does not wish to include is cut generally using software like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut or Garage Band.
8. Ethics=This deals with the specific ethical principles and standards of the mass media including the internet. It can cover a wide range of topics from Newspaper intrusion to explicit advertising,
9.  Exhibition=A feature or a short film is screened for the public, and it is preceded by production and distribution. This is the final stage.
10. Feature film=A long film which is usually exhibited in cinemas, often between 80-180 minutes in length.
11. Framing=The process by which the Photographer, Director or Camera operator chooses what to include in the shot. This is linked to Mise-en-scene.
12. Franchise=A series of films, TV games or other media products based on similar storylines or backgrounds. For example, Star Wars is found in Film, TV, website, games and toys. If a media product has a spin off or a sequel this is when it starts to become considered as a franchise.
13. Genre=Style or type. For example, sci-fi.
14. House style=The name given to the overall design concept applied to a magazine, website or media company. It can include the use of particular: fonts, colours, typography, idents, layouts, logos and images etc. This style helps the media text to differentiate between other competitors.
15. Ident=A symbol or a sequence associated with a media production. It can be found as an image, a short video sequence, a logo or an audio. It helps to identify who is responsible for the product.
16. Interactive media=This refers to products and services on digital media systems which responds to the Uses and Gratification theory by presenting text, graphics, animation, video and audio.
17. Jingle=A short and catchy piece of music or phrase associated with advertising and promoting and also to embed a message in audiences minds.
18. Logo=A sample image including the name of a product or company to identify it. This is a key element of house style.
19. Media conglomerate=A large multinational company for example, Walt Disney or Time-Warner.
20. Mise-en-scene=This is connected to framing. It regards to what is included within a shot. It contains: colour, expression, type of shot, props, setting, lighting, sound and costume.
21. Narration=Any spoken voiceover in order to set the scene, describe action or link sequence.
22. Niche audience/market= A niche is a fraction of a total audience or market, which is a small audience who have specific preferences and tastes.
23. Opening Sequence=This is the first part of a film, usually including or leading up to a credit sequence and it sets the characters, story (equilibrium.) Normally it ends on a cliff hanger or a moment of tension in hope that the audience will be attracted and fascinated to carry on watching.
24. Primary research=This consists of research to collect date. It can be done through questionnaires, surveys, focus groups or interviews.
25. Scene=A dramatic unit consisting single or several shots, within the same setting and period.
26. Secondary Research=This involves the collection and analyses of existing research.
27. Schedule=This includes the planned-time to complete pre-production and production processes. This is normally the first thing to be done during pre-production.
28. Script=This includes the lines of dialogue and directions to make it easier for the actors to understand the Directors perceptions and ideas.
29. Short film=This is produced to be shown at film festivals or on television, ranging from 5-60 minutes in length.
30. Shot=A single photograph or a single take from the Directors perspective.
31. Signposting=The technique which is used to establish the location at the beginning of the scene using visual or audio elements. This involves the establishing shot.
32. Slogan=A catchy and memorable phrase usually used as a jingle and to form the house style.
33. Storyboard=This is a visual development of the script which is often completed by the director so that he can make it clearer to the camera operator or the production team the vision of the shots. It will include elements of the mise-en-scene as well as camera movements, length of shot, types of shot and sound.
34. Synergy=combined action by two or more media groups/texts to exceed the sum of an individual in order to succeed a target.
35. Titles=The opening credits of a moving image with the title of the production company, an ident and the higher ranked cast and crew. Also including images from the associated product or appropriate themed music. The length often differs for example films like Watchmen or James Bond have quite long title lengths.
36. Treatment=A short outline of a media production designed to give a client or a production team the basic idea based on the brief. They are usually descriptive through sketches, images, mood board e.t.c. in order to sell the idea.
37. Voice-over=Any spoken narrative or description which is non-diegetic. Often used in the opening sequence to inform the audience of the setting.

Friday 20th November

I have decided that I will constantly update my blog with different media key terminology so that I can have a checklist of what to include and to help me develop my glossary knowledge.

Technical research: Directing Skills

I have uploaded this work on Directing Skills, however at a later date I will add videos and more information on the UK Film Council.

Mainstream Audiences

I sourced this information from http://www.uktribes.com/tribe/mainstream. It has been useful because it has allowed be to understand personalities and desires characterised by these different audience sub-groups. Additionally, this research enabled me to class our formal target audience into a particular mainstream audience. In this case, Daniel Neary, a older teenager has been categorised in the 'Chavers' sub-group.

Technical research: Acting Skills

Technical research: Editing (William Guy)

Theoretical research: Audience theories

Wednesday 18th November

In this lesson, Hubert did sound research, Will carried on with form research and i have nearly completed audience theories. I just have to complete Two-Step Flow.

Moodboard

This 'moodboard' research is essential because it highlights the key themes within our plot, in order to engage the audience, or to perhaps build the anticipation of our opening. I think that this research is also useful since it begins to address the moods and atmospheres present, developing our understanding of what conventions will be crucial.  Plus, for me, this moodboard has developed my visual understanding and view of our opening, in the way that I can picture the emotions and action that we should incorporate, rather than our planning just being theory based and written. Therefore, this creates a sense that this research has actually been very crucial even though it does not affect our understanding of previous Dystopia or Thriller films or increase our knowledge of key media terms and conventions.

Tuesday 17th November

Today i have nearly completed audience theories, but i have Two-Step Flow and part of Reception Theory left.

Friday 13th November

I am slowly completing the Acting and Directing skills, but positively we have had more feedbacks from our Audience survey, yet we are waiting for feedback on our second and latest ident.

Wednesday 11th November

I went on to my Directing Skills, using sources from the internet to write on a word document what skills you need to be a successful Director.

Monday 16th November

Today, we analysed some student genre research and I carried on with my Directing skills.

Tuesday the 10th November

On the 10th November, during the night Will added our latest Ident to our blog, which we have sent out to various audiences for feedback and he also wrote about the decisions why.

New ident (Will Guy)

Will made a second version of our Ident based on our feedback from our teacher and our team. It shares the same representations and connotations as our previous Ident, but we have made the typography smaller and placed it all below the box to connote that our ideas are all coming from a key theme of 'a futuristic world within a lawless society' and because we thought that it looked tidier. Will also removed the glow from around the text to make it flatter and cleaner following stereotypical current design trends where designers are flavouring a flat design over a 'Skeuomorphic Design.'

Wednesday 11th November

Over this week, we carried on with our technical research individually, whilst we developed our ident with an explanation using media terms like typography. I also included the Uses and Gratification theory in our Thriller convention research mainly focusing upon diversion to suggest that the movies should be naturalistic in order to engage the audience. We also carried on with our technical research individually, whilst we developed our ident with an explanation using media terms like typography and i also included the Uses and Gratification theory in our Thriller convention research mainly focusing upon diversion.

Tuesday 10th November

Today, we carried on with our technical research individually, whilst we developed our ident with an explanation using media terms like typography and i also included the Uses and Gratification theory in our Thriller convention research mainly focusing upon diversion.

What should the post-production stage consist of?

·         The footage will be edited many times, until the final footage is complete.

·         The sound post-production would re-record the dialogue and use Foley sound recording to complete the diegetic sounds.

·         Music would be added and all of the sound will be mixed.

·         Major US productions would preview the movie to see audience responses.

·         A distribution deal will be arranged, likely involving Universal distribution for mainstream films or a smaller distributor, for example Arrow films, to distribute mostly independent productions. However, the distributer can often depend on what sort of genres it often converges with.

·         A marketing strategy will be devised with an outside agency targeting the anticipated audience. This will include a cross media of posters, trailers, DVD covers, radio advertising giving a sense of synergy which is appropriate for certain demographics. For example, trailers are better for the younger demographics, whereas radio advertising would be more influential and beneficial for older demographics.

·         A premiere and a saturation run would be arranged for a bigger film, while a smaller film may be exhibited at a film festival to gain reviews and publicity, and maybe nominations or awards before it is released in the cinema.

·         Vertical integration of the company controlling, marketing and exhibition of films.

This research was effective as it developed my individual knowledge ready for the other sections of my exam at the end of the year and has also increased my understanding of the marketing and distribution stage. Nevertheless, most of this does not apply to our opening production.

What should the production stage involve?

• Multiple takes of the shot e.g. from different angles to see the change in perceptions and visual meanings.

• If there is no locations suitable available, set designers will make it look authentic for the historic period.

 

• The rushes will be reviewed, which gives the director and producers a chance to see whether they were successful.

• CGI will begin for special effects sequences.

• It should provide the audience with media products they desire and should provide them with gratifications that they expect.

This has again been influential because we understood that we should try out different angles and shots to recognise which ones are the most effective and it has enabled us to understand this stage more. Additionally, we have realised that we should always apply and consider theories, such as: Propp's and Todorov's theory and the 'Uses and Gratification' theory. For example, we included an anti-hero and followed the five stages of Todorov's narrative discovery.

What the pre-production stage should normally consist of?

• Script development to ensure that the script is completed to its best ability.
• Setting the budget.
• Hiring department heads for things like production design.
• A shooting schedule would be drawn up which is likely to plan just a couple of minutes shooting over a 12 hour day.
• A Location Manager will begin to look for locations which might be suitable for the film and consider what changes might be needed and what permission might need to be negotiated. This can sometimes be expensive.
  • A Casting Director would be appointed and stars will be approached, agents contacted, screen tests and auditions held in a hired space over a period of time.
• Equipment will be hired such as cameras and lighting, vehicles would be arranged for transport.
• A Music Director would begin to organise and experiment with a score.

This research has been beneficial because it has developed my knowledge of a professional film, during this part of the production chain, whilst I have also understand what sort of targets we should be aiming for.

Thriller films

As a Thriller one of the biggest conventions is to create suspense! Therefore, all of these Thriller's are conventionally successful because they use many narrative pleasures, such as: climax's and anti-climax's. From this research, I understand that it is necessary that we follow these expectations. In relation to our final opening, we used this narrative pleasure, mainly through the cross cutting between the present day hallucinations and the flashback. I think that we develop this through the fast-paced editing and the effect that Will was able to find and use.

Production ideas on the 4th November

Ident (Will Guy)

Will made this box animation in blender and the spotlight was created using a bump map effect in Sony Vegas.

We chose the colour green because it is represented as a neutral colour, so the audience will not be limited to any gender, allowing a wider audience. This colour also has positive connotations with the words "go" and "good" which are examples of words our production company would like to be associated with. The typography is a large sans serif font which makes it easy to read, establishing a clear brand identity and helping it to attract the audiences attention. This could be linked to the Uses and Gratification technique because the audience would be able to make a choice whether they watch this film for entertainment, personal identity, social solidarity or surveillance. he box motion makes it appear to grow which connotes that our group is developing into a production company through our ideas or our team work.

Pilot Survey results and analysis (William Guy)

This primary research has been beneficial as it has increased our amount of date, so that we can understand the audience expectations and preferences more. For example, the significance between whether more of the audience are male or females has been a vital conclusion in whether we should aim/target males or females. As we found that the higher proportion of respondents were males, we will include more violence. Yet, we will still consider in attracting the female formal audience of an older teenager.

Madonna copyright (Hubert Osinski)

Our original production idea was to challenge several conventions through random changes in sound and atmosphere. Our mood changing songs was meant to be "Like A Prayer" by Madonna, but we failed to receive the copyrights necessary for us to use it as a part of our product. The beginning of our film creates a conventional Dystopian atmosphere of an abandoned location; we've used ambient sound effects such as thunder to use as little melodic sound as possible. After a really chaotic title sequence of the film, after the black out the lighting is edited to create a warm-looking atmosphere, in order to challenge the concept of what it's like outdoors (cold and dangerous). The anti-hero was meant to be a non-conventional which would make direct reference to the audience and break character depending on the situation that he is in. The whole purpose of using the song was for it to create a change in the mood of the film and challenge the genre of a serious dystopian thriller. This idea failed to work as to my surprise we never received the expected response from Madonna's managers.

Dystopian Films

All of these films have clear similarities in the way that they explore futuristic settings through different issues or themes. For example, they explore the psychological negatives of a future world, like hunger or inequality.

Monday 2nd November

In this lesson, we continued our shot list, Will took on an individual job of analysing our Pilot survey results, whilst we researched some soundtracks. We have decided that there is going to be a juxtaposition of Madonna's song 'Like a Prayer' with the opening shots, to connote the protagonist's relaxing and laid back characteristics. I have partly completed the Influential figures, however i am still yet to embed links of YouTube clips e.t.c.

Thriller Conventions (Hubert and Hayden)

We have decided that we will focus upon including many quick and close-up shots of the protagonist to connote his expressions and to represent his characteristics. This would also follow the typical conventions because the younger demographic will likely be persuaded that it is true events and how it could occur to them.

However, we have chosen to subvert the convention of continuous suspense because we want to juxtapose the sound with the image, therefore the chosen non-diegetic music during the first shots will be lively and more upbeat.

The thriller conventions could be linked to the uses and gratifications theory because often it would be watched by many different demographics for diversion, so that the audience can escape from reality and direct their mind to something entertaining and different.

Thriller films trailers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLGx5YT6sOg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG3-GlvKPcg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG3-GlvKPcg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iaYLCiq5RM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpKaB5dvQ4g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThhDTBbMc0M

From these trailers i have found that the best way to create tension is through mostly non-diegetic sound because it will connote the moods and help to build a crescendo. This was responsible within our product because we made sure that the non-diegetic main sound was beneficial towards our production and enabled us to get the best out of the action. As well as this, we took careful consideration into choosing this as it had to build tension as well as allowing the audience to focus on what they could see, not hear.
Diegetic sound benefited our product. For example, we used ambient sounds of birds singing that was effective because despite the fact that we wanted to create a sense that most of nature was dead, there was still proof of birds. This also led to a natural feel and seemed to provide recognition and social solidarity as the audiences would consider why they could hear this ambience. Another example was the use of Foley sound when the character was heavily breathing at the end of the title sequence. This again created realism and connoted that he had been running, possibly from the human eaters.

'The Maze Runner' and 'The Matrix'

Both of these films are successful and they are hybrids that include the Dystopia genre, so even though they have not been as influential as 'Mad Max: Fury Road' or 'I am Legend', they have still helped us understand this genre more through conventions and the mood and atmosphere's we want to be creating. For example, 'The Matrix' follows Sci-Fi conventions: advanced technology, special effects, alternate worlds, conflict between good and evil (binary opposite), many close ups and extreme close ups and uses a complex plot through the ideology of 'is this reality?' These conventions used allows the film to follow the Dystopia sub genre.
 This effected our opening as we ensured that we were following or subverting conventions purposefully. An example of this, is our choice of following the convention of a lawless society but subverting the idea of post modern conventions, like talking to the audience or using intertextuality to increase the chances of audience pleasures such as: recognition.

'Divergent' as an influential film

I have decided to import this trailer because likewise to 'The Hunger Games', the plot and futuristic style is key for the Dystopia genre and will help us to develop our concept of the society during our opening scene.

I love the establishing shots during the title sequence because it allows the audience to get a clear feel for the setting and the issues within society. We think that we will do something like this during our title scene, but obviously we will not be able to produce a shot at the same quality level as this. Therefore, we will have to use local locations wisely to connote emptiness and lack of living.

This was effective because it was one of the influences for us using different shots during the title sequence, for example, the shot of the dead plant or the long shot at ground level highlighting the emptiness and creating a sense of desolate locations. Plus, from this research I have discovered that the font needs to blend in with the shot framing and colour, else it will appear unusual, unless this is necessary and for a purpose. So, we decided to use plain white font, similar to the font used in 'Divergent' because here it worked well and meant that we followed a Dystopia film example.

The Hunger Games (2012)

I have linked 'The Hunger Games' official trailer because it is a successful Dystopian film and the concept behind the narrative plot is influential towards our moving image. In my opinion, it is vital that we achieve thematic pleasures from the themes: hunger and innocence. This could relate to how two innocent teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death. Furthermore, I think that it is effective how they introduced the tone and particular events through a sub title which establishes the equilibrium of the film. I think that we will do something like this in order to educate the audience, but we want to produce this differently and in a creative manner. So as an example, we will either do a monologue or record radio takings to retrieve all of the information related to the context of our production ideas.
In response to our final production, we used a radio announcement which allowed the character as well as the audience to be aware of the latest news and threats that are taking place presently in our film.

Influential figures 1

I have uploaded this, however I will add videos of some of my influential Directors and Actors talking from YouTube. I will let you know from my production log whether this has been successful and when I have completed this.

All Time International Top 10 Box Office

All Time International Top 10

Note: This chart is not adjusted for inflation. The figures represent the total amount of money a movie has taken internationally over its lifetime.
 

	Released	Title	Domestic Box Office	International Box Office	Worldwide Box Office
1	2009	Avatar	$760,507,625	$2,023,411,357	$2,783,918,982
2	1997	Titanic	$658,672,302	$1,548,943,366	$2,207,615,668
3	2015	Furious 7	$351,032,910	$1,162,986,161	$1,514,019,071
4	2015	Jurassic World	$652,198,010	$1,018,130,015	$1,670,328,025
5	2015	Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens	$863,148,249	$1,012,000,000	$1,875,148,249
6	2011	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II	$381,011,219	$960,500,000	$1,341,511,219
7	2015	The Avengers: Age of Ultron	$459,005,868	$945,700,000	$1,404,705,868
8	2012	The Avengers	$623,279,547	$896,200,000	$1,519,479,547
9	2013	Frozen	$400,738,009	$873,496,971	$1,274,234,980
10	2014	Transformers: Age of Extinction	$245,439,076	$858,600,000	$1,104,039,076

Top grossing movies 1995-2016

Even though Action is the genre with the highest inflation adjusted gross, we are keen on creating a Dystopian Thriller. Within professional media it can be distributed into Cinemas with a low budget, compared to Actions and Science-Fictions that require a larger budget for special effects and other technologies like CGI. For example, Avatar.

Rank	Movie	Release Date	Genre	MPAA Rating	Total Gross	Inflation-Adjusted Gross
1	Jurassic World	Jun 12, 2015	Action	PG-13	$652,198,010	$652,198,010
2	The Lost World: Jurassic Park	May 22, 1997	Action	PG-13	$229,074,524	$417,724,134
3	How the Grinch Stole Christmas	Nov 17, 2000	Comedy	PG	$260,044,825	$403,302,256
4	Despicable Me 2	Jul 3, 2013	Comedy	PG	$368,065,385	$378,930,222
5	Meet the Fockers	Dec 22, 2004	Comedy	PG-13	$279,167,575	$371,361,390
6	Furious 7	Apr 3, 2015	Action	PG-13	$351,032,910	$351,032,910
7	Bruce Almighty	May 23, 2003	Comedy	PG-13	$242,704,995	$336,883,711
8	Minions	Jul 10, 2015	Comedy	PG	$336,045,770	$336,045,770
9	Apollo 13	Jun 30, 1995	Drama	PG	$172,036,360	$331,021,690
10	Liar Liar	Mar 21, 1997	Comedy	PG-13	$181,395,380	$330,779,814
11	The Mummy Returns	May 4, 2001	Adventure	PG-13	$202,007,640	$298,728,615
12	King Kong	Dec 14, 2005	Adventure	PG-13	$218,080,025	$283,511,452
13	The Bourne Ultimatum	Aug 3, 2007	Thriller/Suspense	PG-13	$227,471,070	$276,734,431
14	Jurassic Park III	Jul 18, 2001	Action	PG-13	$181,166,115	$267,908,199
15	Despicable Me	Jul 9, 2010	Comedy	PG	$251,513,985	$266,813,545
16	Meet the Parents	Oct 6, 2000	Comedy	PG-13	$166,225,040	$257,763,884
17	The Mummy	May 7, 1999	Adventure	PG-13	$155,247,825	$255,792,180
18	A Beautiful Mind	Dec 21, 2001	Drama	PG-13	$170,708,996	$246,635,316
19	Fast and Furious 6	May 24, 2013	Action	PG-13	$238,679,850	$245,725,749
20	The Nutty Professor	Jun 28, 1996	Comedy	PG-13	$128,769,345	$243,846,022
21	The Bourne Supremacy	Jul 23, 2004	Thriller/Suspense	PG-13	$176,087,450	$237,283,608
22	Patch Adams	Dec 25, 1998	Comedy	PG-13	$135,014,968	$231,429,261
23	Ted	Jun 29, 2012	Comedy	R	$218,665,740	$229,928,671
24	Doctor Seuss' The Lorax	Mar 2, 2012	Adventure	PG	$214,030,500	$225,054,678
25	Fast Five	Apr 29, 2011	Action	PG-13	$209,837,675	$221,480,621

Dystopia Conventions

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We have decided that our protagonist will follow anti-stereotypes, for example he will be an anti-hero, connoting that he was forced into this position. Also, he will be more bothered about his survival, instead of the survival of the human race. Therefore, he would be divided into the conventional group 1.

Nevertheless, we have decided to subvert the convention of sci-fi conventions as we are obviously not able to fund and use special effects to connote a futuristic setting or to create a space craft. Additionally, even though this is similar to the Dystopia sub-genre, it would distance our opening from a Dystopia Thriller.

Textual analysis of 'Mad Max'

Mad Max: Fury Road Textual analysis

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IJ8_Jf891k

Again we like the use of the introduction to describe the setting and character, in this case through the monologue. Therefore, we have a choice between whether to use a monologue or radio takings to describe the events. Furthermore, the character of Max is likable because he is straight forwards, strong and seems to be represented as a cool guy, as a result we will use his character as a starting point to develop our protagonist. Again, this film uses flashbacks and visions to connote that his stressful past and it allows a climax to build.

Genre:

Mad Max is a hybrid Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi genre connoting that it uses a mix of conventions. One generic convention is near death situations. This is shown when Max’s car explodes connoting that he could have died but because he is the protagonist we expect him to survive. Another example of a generic convention is the futuristic technology which allows the use of new technology and machinery connoting the advancing future. Also, following a typical Adventure convention is the use of a clear protagonist. This is shown through Max’s character and his brave representations when he fights of the antagonists.

 Narrative:

 In this scene, Propp’s theory is connoted through ‘The hero’ of Max as he is represented as a courageous fighter and he seems to be an important part of this extract, since he was the first character we see and his past life is connoted through his flashbacks. This also means that the narrative is non-linear because it does not follow a clear chronological order because events do not occur in time order. As well as this, ‘villains’ are connoted through the use of the pack who are represented as vicious when they torture and capture Max and twisted through their deformed figure. This could link to the binary opposites of good vs evil.

Furthermore, Todorov’s theory of 5 states is applied. Firstly, an equilibrium as the narrative, characters and setting is introduced when Max is on the sand connoting that it is set in the desert. A disruption occurs once a problem causes Max to re-enter his car, since he is later chased by the antagonists. The audience recognise this disruption when his car is blown up and as he is captured and tortured by the antagonistic pack. This connotes their thirst for power because they want to overcome Max. Next, the protagonist tries to fix the problem simultaneously to the time when he fights the pack off and attempts to run away. This represents his desire to be free and his strength. Lastly, a new equilibrium is connected to a generic convention of a setback as he reaches light once again and nearly escapes, however he is caught again and pulled back into the lair.

This extract follows a double plot in the way that there is two narrative strands. The first includes: Max’s constant flashbacks and his relationship with the characters within it and the relationship between the antagonists and the protagonists, connoting that this is open narrative because the plot can easily continue and is open ended and intertwined since the audience are not aware of the issue.  Also, during this extract the third person narrator positions allows true representations if the characters instead of stereotypes or an individual’s view of a person, allowing the audience to understand and maybe sympathise with the characters.

 

Sound:

 

Diegetic sound is used to represent Max's madness. This is connoted through the constant voices in his head connoting that they have a close relationship with him and his stressed mind. Another example is the use of the ambient sound of the Lizard which is ambiguous because it could either connote that he is prone to quiet noises and the point that the setting is lonely and quiet.

 

Non diegetic sound is used to represent the disaster that has caused this. This is connoted through the radio takes that deliver the news connoting that it is important. This is mixed with background sound of constant drums that connote Max's distress and represents his crazy personality. Also, with Mad Max delivering an over voice which is dramatic connoting that it is key for him to introduce his story and tell the audience of his past life.

 

Editing:

 

Editing is used to represent a chase. This is shown through the fast paced shots that help to build up tension and causes the target audience to anticipate whether he will survive it. As Max is the protagonist the audience wants him to win, but this is not the case, connoting that he is not invincible.

Another example of editing is to represent panic. This is connoted when it cuts into his luggage and they fly into his car in a smooth, fast shot. This represents Mad Max's depressing character and his difficulty in preserving himself. Also the fact that a disruption is coming, connoting his magnificent senses because he can predict it.

 

Mise-en-scene:

 

Costume-Max wear boots, jacket, a cotton hood and a carrier to store weapons. His overall look is represented as cheap connoting his lack of money and he is connoted to be an explorer through the use of the carrier. This represents his eagerness to hunt and search possibly for secret or new things.

Positioning-Max is often centred in the middle of the shots. This is shown during the establishing shot, as he is placed in the centre of the frame. This represents his importance and addresses the target audience that he is probably the protagonist and the character that will have the most screening time.

Expression-The protagonist is represented as Mad, hence his name. This is connoted through all of the close-ups as the audience can clearly see that he is not mentally stable, leading to the younger demographic to sympathise largely as they will struggle to recognise his flaws, whereas the older demographic should be wiser and easily recognise the hidden truths.

Setting-It appears to be set in a desert, rocky scenery connoting a hot country representing the increase risks of irritation and it sets an interesting landscape for a chase, because the emptiness connotes the secrecy and lonely surroundings.

Colour-The use of the lighter colours represents the heat. It also connotes the setting and allows the audience to understand that it is daytime or early morning.

 

Audience:

Mad Max: Fury Road seems to be targeted at teenagers, heading towards younger adults. However, the older demographic will clearly be attracted because this is a modern remake of the classic trilogy, this is connoted through the violence and the gore. Following the stereotypical beliefs, this is likely to attract males more than females because they are stereotyped to prefer violence and action, whilst females are stereotyped to prefer romantic genres. Nevertheless, connecting to the Two Step Flow, I think that Tom Hardy will attract females audiences because of his likability and his muscular representation, which highlights that the media does not have full control of what we watch-the audience have a strong involvement. Due to audience segmentation the teen demographic are the most likely to view this movie because they have exposable income representing them as middle class. Also, the upper class are less likely to watch this movie because of their superiority and lack of interest in these kind of plots. Ultimately, the Uses and Gratifications theory could be involved in the way that social solidarity could easily lead friends with similar entertainment preferences will discuss the movie and possibly promote it to others. Also, it would be an easier way for the audiences to diverse away from their everyday routines and immerse themselves within the plot, likely having an opinion about all of the characters.

 

Shots:

 

In this opening scene, shots are used to represent power. This is shown through the use of a high angle shot as the antagonists cut off Max's hair, representing their control in this scene and how they want to take away his rights connoting that something has triggered this relationship. Secondly, a low angle shot is used to show the futuristic engine on the car. This connotes the power of the car emphasising that it is quick and a special object within Max's life.
The establishing shot of the back of Max looking into the background represents guilt. The point that he is not facing the audience connotes that he feels he has done something wrong and that he needs to relax, by looking into the surroundings. As a result, his aggressive behaviour is connoted and the use of his back facing the audience connotes his innocence, as the body language is similar to a child's.

Ideology:

It seems to be clear that Mad Max is based around the collapse of civilisation, and the binary opposite of good vs evil connotes that certain groups of people are power-thirsty, representing their view on inequality.


We think that we will stick to the use of the monologue because it helps to introduce the meaning behind why the world is like how it is and it is perfect in already create a dramatic relationship between the audience and the character speaking. However, we will subvert against the Australian location and the use of weapons clearly because of our lack of budget and the barriers within our exam criteria. Nevertheless, this will not stop us from creating a chase similar that might be similar to the one from this extract as I felt that this was effective because it connote how Max was wanted and it also gave the representation that he was isolated and controlled because he failed to escape and the new equilibrium is him being captured again.
 

Textual Analysis of 'Saw 2'

Textual analysis of Saw 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIhQ5IrxSPc

 

This opening scene works really well to create tension due to all of the jump cuts and fast paced transitions between the clock ticking and the characters reactions. Therefore, we think that if we have some sort of flashback this will cause our protagonist to panic and we will have fast paced cuts between a flashback and his reactions. Also, we like the grimy, underground setting, so we think that we will use a location with similarities to this.

Genre:

Saw 2 is a Torture Porn hybrid connoting that it is related to a horror. This is proved through the use of typical conventions including: blood, masks, weapons, torture device, unfamiliar objects and chains. The use of the blood connotes the themes of death and pain as well as representing the message of this plot. Also, it effects the audience into feeling anxious and awkward about what they are viewing.

 

Narrative:

This scene follows Propp’s theory of character types as it clearly includes a villain-Jigsaw who is represented as vicious and evil and he seems to have a conflict with other characters. This is portrayed through the life vs death binary opposite and connotes his anger and mad personality. Furthermore, a damsel in distress/princess is used but through an anti-stereotype of a male-Michael. This is connoted in the way that he is the victim. However, this genre is different because often there is very few heroes and the Evil usually win to conflict stereotypical movies.

Todorov’s theory of ‘Five States’ seems to apply. This connoted by a defined Equilibrium, which is the victim being trapped. This helps to connote the theme of torture and set the scene. The disruption is connoted as the villain introduces the death mask connoting a problem and the word death represents the content of the play addressing the audience of what may happen. We recognise the disruption when we find out that the key is in his eye and how the victim needs to retrieve it to survive. This follows the theory as it connotes the difficulty of surviving in this situation and the target demographic have to anticipate the binary opposites of life vs death. Additionally, the audience notice his attempt to repair when Michael tries to cut the key out in order to fix the problem. However, again linking to this genre he fails. Lastly, an anti-stereotypical resolution or new equilibrium takes place simultaneously as he dies. This Five States theory helps to connote the difficulty of this task and represent the psychopathic villain.

 

Sound:

This extract used a lot of non-diegetic sound to build tension. This is shown through the conventional string instruments throughout the scene, building up during the countdown to connote how death is getting closer emphasising limited time. It could also connote the eerie mood and create sharp sounds to connote the mischievous and secret event. Another example is the use of the industralised steam to connote the setting and the steam could represent blindness and cowardice.  

Furthermore, diegetic sound was used to represent end of life. This was portrayed through the screams to connote pain, suffering and panicking as the victim reaches his death. This sound partly builds up the crescendo to connect to the horror conventions of a climax and the horrible terror of this issue /message.

Diegetic sound is used to represent power. For example, the fact that Jigsaw’s character is presented with a low voice connotes his authority and forcefullness. An allegory for this ambiguous voice could also connote his strange mental state and follow the stereotypical idea of a ruthless, mad character.

 

Editing:

Editing is used to create anticipation. This is shown through the fast paced cuts during the countdown, between his expressions and a clock. This connotes how long he has left to live and represents the villain’s power as he seems to control whether they die and has a key influence upon how. The pace also helps to build the tension and anticipation as the audience want to know whether he will survive.

 

Audience:

From this extract, the target audience seems to be around a young adult demographic due to the clear strong use of violence and gore. This could be linked to many audience theories. Firstly, the uses and gratification theory in the way that the scenes will cause social interaction as similar audience segmented people are more likely to watch similar movies and talk about the film, possibly persuading others to watch it. Secondly, it could be connected to the 2 Step Flow theory as equally the actor playing Jigsaw or Michael could have a large influence upon whether the audiences decide to watch it, but the audience themselves could persuade others to watch it.

Mise-en-scene:

Setting- The low-key lighting connotes the secrecy of the location and the dark mood to represent the fear of the characters as well as the audiences. The industralised grimy setting allows the dark lighting to connote that it is underground and hard to find.

Positioning- The positioning is used to represent importance. This is shown through how the victim is positioned in the middle of the shots which connotes that he is an important character throughout this scene and offers a conclusion that something may happen to him.  

Expressions- Michael’s character is represented as anxious and petrified. This is shown through his facial expressions from the constant close-ups after he finds out about the key being in his eye. His wide open eyes connotes that he has learnt something tragic and that he is worried about cutting it out of his eye. Therefore, he is represented as weak and far from brave because he has little choices.  His dropped jaw and crying connotes his innocence and his fear.

 

Props- Jigsaw is presented with a mask to represent his mischievous personality. This is seen when the victim watches the TV. The mask connotes his desire to hide his face as well as creating an eerie mood and uneasy atmosphere as audiences often loathe masks and not knowing who is behind it.

Costume- Finally, Michael’s costume connotes his inferiority. This is connoted from the point that he is only wearing boxers. This ambiguous choice of costume connotes how his rights have been stripped and how he was easy to access for Jigsaw, again representing his power. The little clothing could also connote how Michael is easy to access and has a lack of protection linking to the theme of violence.

 

Shots:

Conventionally, the shots are used to make the audience feel guilty. This is portrayed from the point of view shots at the beginning which connotes that he has just woke up and forces the targeted demographic to feel like witnesses, which helps to question the audiences emotions and limits.

Many shots are used to represent authority. The use of the low angle shots directed at the victim connotes that he is the target and how he is trapped in the chair. This angle allows the audience to feel dominant representing his weakness and hope for survival.

 

Ideology:

A clear opinion is shown here through Jigsaw’s character. A dominant opinion seems to be that Jigsaw believes that everyone should appreciate life and death. To do this he appears to believe that near-death situations are key into making many better people. Jigsaw’s belief is normal but the fact that he delivers certain acts in order to follow this is shocking, as the audience would feel amazed that someone could commit these limits and cause death.

These conventions will actually appeal to our primary target audience of 15 to a young adult demographic because this has similar age ranges within the use of the horror conventions and we though that the music worked really effectively with the fast paced shots to create tension, so we have decided that we intend to stick to this as we desire a similar atmosphere but in a less violent way. Secondly we may include violence in our piece to link to male audiences expectations and the stereotypes they are associated with, however we subvert against this convention by lowering the intensity levels and by keeping it brief and as short as possible to connote a flicker of a flashback. Finally, we were intrigued with the use of the location so at the moment we think that we will base ours in a toilet-like facility to connote the emptiness within society and the lack of facilities for our protagonist to live in. Also, it will help to represent the fear people live with because most of them hide in remote locations.