The questionnaire was carried out to twenty-five students who attend Birmingham Metropolitan College aged between sixteen and eighteen. We felt that the age range of our targeted audience was appropriate as teenagers are the most popular age group that tend to be more sociable and outgoing more than the rest of the other age groups. The survey was centrally focussed on the horror genre of films as our group's final continuity piece concept evolves around the themes based on the genre such as tension and fear. I hope to use the questionaires as a basis for producing innovative ideas to which they can be built and expanded upon in the progress being made towards completing our final concept.
When asked how often they attend cinemas each month, the majority chose the first two options from not going to the cinema at all to up to five times. Only one person visited the cinema more than five times with most teenagers preferred to visit just the few times per month.
Sixty percent of the students stated that the suspense helped to create the fear within them in the response to being asked what they enjoy about watching horror films. This had captured their intentions to think and experience what might have happened next as the suspense creates a precursor that is waiting to happen at any given moment. This was the opinion that frequently appeared when asked about the purpose of the horror genre to which they claimed most of their favourite films are classified in the genre. Seven students said that they would search for the reviews of the horror films via the internet, magazine or brochet before considering whether to watch it or not either. This seems a sensible decision to make as you are informed of which horror films are worth paying for to watch, but ultimately it is your choice at the end of it all. Only one person did not answer the question because she stated that she only intend to watch films whilst being accompanied with friends at the same time which is completely understandable taking into account that going to the cinema is preferably suited to a group activity by teenagers rather than a solo activity, which is also an option but it is thought of as being a far less popular choice. Two students noted they would not be attracted to horror films that starred fewer well-known actors/actresses due to the lack of emotive influence less-known actors/actresses may have through their small reputations during inspirational moments. For example if a less-known character acted whilst being an emotionally driven moment of the film was developing into a climax, he/she may not have the same eminent presence as Tom Hanks or Penelope Cruz for which members of the audience can aspire to.
When asked about favourite and non-favourite horror films, twenty out of twenty-five students opted for 'Halloween' due to the central reason that 'everything about the film was scary', as quoted by one of them.
The least favourite horror films were 'Saw' and 'Final Destination'. With 'Saw', some teenagers thought that despite the theme in violence being highlighted as one of the popular features that make films enjoyable and deeply satisfying in horror genres, it became far too excessive on certain levels to their own liking on frequent occasions.
Favourite actors/actresses included Kurt Russell's role for a helicopter pilot role in 'The Thing'. Jack Nicholson's impressive role as Jack Torrance in 'The Shining' also inspired eleven out of twenty-five surveyors.
Based on where they like to watch their films, nineteen students preferred experiencing them in cinemas as the sound effects were used to greater influence to create a tense atmosphere in an enclosed environement.
To conclude, the majority of students enjoyed watching horror films of an eighteen rating due to the greater satisfaction withdrawn from the the depth of the gore in the content and the increased level of vulnerabilities and paranoia to which they felt exposed to.
Friday 18 December 2009
Friday 4 December 2009
Practice opening sequence
Storyboard for practice continuity piece
The production of our group's opening sequence surpassed my expectations to how it would be delivered through fluency and content. The group had to film the entire scene without the benefit of a tripod which surprisingly enabled steady progress on producing the different types of camera shots, from close-up to medium close-up, that we decided to use. I felt that the use of a tripod would have prolonged the delays to deliver the scenes because the equipment was not entirely reliable to use and that we had the fear that it was prone to jamming which would be an unwelcome addition to the production. With the camera being hand-held we felt that a sense of uneasiness is easily created as the perspective is being drawn from behind the character.
At times there have been minor disagreements over when to deliver which type of camera shots, but overall I felt the progress we made as a group over the course of the continuity project fared well with the amount of time that was given to meet the deadline.
To improve the performances in the future, our group must amend for the mistakes that we had initially been unaware of making and ensure they are to be not to be repeated. It would be recommendable that practice comes first before filming a camera shot or scene for the final time so this enables the group members to acknowledge what they are doing in their roles in the process and this avoids any further interferences, such as deciding which type of camera shot to use or deciding to place one scene before or after the other.
At times there have been minor disagreements over when to deliver which type of camera shots, but overall I felt the progress we made as a group over the course of the continuity project fared well with the amount of time that was given to meet the deadline.
To improve the performances in the future, our group must amend for the mistakes that we had initially been unaware of making and ensure they are to be not to be repeated. It would be recommendable that practice comes first before filming a camera shot or scene for the final time so this enables the group members to acknowledge what they are doing in their roles in the process and this avoids any further interferences, such as deciding which type of camera shot to use or deciding to place one scene before or after the other.
Continuity video link:
Sunday 15 November 2009
Analysis of thriller and horror opening sequences
Scream (horror), 1995
In the opening credits of the title 'Scream' the choice of colour for the background, in black, is a symbolism of death and impurity which reflects heavily on the type of pattern that this horror film follows throughout; with characters dying at certain points through the progression of the film. The capital letters of the title bring out the boldness and advises the viewers that the film is being taken seriously. As soon as the title rolls into play, a phone rings in the background immediately to give a precursor to the opening scene of the film that is about to follow. The font of the title changes from white to red in a fading effect to echo the effect of blood soaking through clothing. The representation in the symbolism of the colour red often links to danger and with the girl screaming in the background, an ominous feeling is created from the audience with the danger that awaits the girl (who is screaming). This is imminently approaching and that we fear that she may be exposed to it in devastating consequences. As the title changes to red the scream reaches its peak by becoming increasingly louder. This shows the possible extent to how painful the girl's impending death is and the wielding of a knife, as the title changes to red, gives us the impression that her death is related to a stabbing. The echoes of the scream stretch on into the introduction of the opening scene then quickly disappears, which beckons the inevitability of her death. This gives the viewers the feeling that the girl may be the one who screams in the end. The girl puts down the phone for the first time, after an initially brief conversation with the mysterious caller. A medium shot is shown to reveal her surprising reaction to the phone being rung again straight after the previous call ended through her body movement and facial expression. The camera shortly tracks her movement on a horizontal axis then zooms in for the medium shot and there is no motion in the camera. Before she ends the first call, she says 'take it easy' which is ironic due to the fact that she is almost deceiving herself by believing that the man would do so but we immediately suspect that he will not. A medium long shot is used to show the branches of a tree that lies outside her house, which is the actual location of her death.
The part when the girl makes some popcorn becomes vital to how the scene develops later on. As soon as the girl puts the pan of popcorn on the grill, it makes the viewers question whether she will be alive by the time the popcorn is done. As the popcorn bag grows larger, the tension heightens further; this is helped with non-diegetic sounds in the orchestral music that elevates the level of panic to which the girl is feeling in this frighteningly tense experience she is going through. The moment where the orchestral music is played shows the turning point to how the girl is feeling when she enters a phase where she was once calm and composed, but now she begins to panic and becomes vulnerable to the threat. A medium long shot is presented where the girl is positioned to the right-hand side of the screen with the glass door, which is unguarded despite it being locked, is located to the left of the screen. The unguarded glass door is prone to being broken by the killer on the phone and also the girl has her back turned towards the door so she can be exposed from behind without knowing it.
Jackie Brown (Crime thriller), 1995
The choice of colour in the film title evokes positive themes which oppose to the representation of the codes and conventions displayed in a crime thriller genre. With the title being yellow, the colour symbolises happiness and liveliness that helps to elevate the mood of an atmosphere; whilst the genre reflects on the darker side of one character's actions and personality through psychological and social aspects. The director/producer's decision for the font of the film title is a deliberate attempt to mislead the audience away from their expectations of a crime thriller genre. In addition to the title, the letters all have a curvature to them which act as a distraction to deceive the audience into the approach that is taken into presenting the title. The font adds depth to the level of creativity in the presentation and the amount of charm and liveliness, from the air hostess, is matched to the uplifting tone of the song.
The choice of song for the introductory scene is uplifting but only affects the audience and not the character because the song is a non-diegetic feature and the character may be feeling different to how we should feel at that moment. Momentum builds from the start with the thrive of the optimism in the song and the woman who walks along whilst the camera is tracking her movements on a horizontal axis. The woman is clearly is an air hostess from the appearance of her smartly-dressed uniform. She has a large suitcase which is unusual as it is not necessary take aboard onto her flight. This creates suspicion about the items that lie inside the suitcase and ensures we question the innocence of the woman and whether she appears to be the person we think she is meant to be, but viewers do not suspect this. From her charisma she does not seem to be the type of person to commit any unlawful acts of violence or corruption. This distributes the message to the audience that one's charisma can be deceiving and that you should not judge anyone's personality from the naked eye. Her occupation gives her a certain level of authority and respect therefore guards do not necessarily have to inspect air hosts/hostesses as they are part of the flight crew. When the song reaches its climax the tone of the singer's voice reaches his highest note and peak which helps to lift the tension of the scene up the point where it can no longer be surpassed. When she runs, momentum is built steadily to which the song is striding towards as the scene is becoming at its most active.
In the opening credits of the title 'Scream' the choice of colour for the background, in black, is a symbolism of death and impurity which reflects heavily on the type of pattern that this horror film follows throughout; with characters dying at certain points through the progression of the film. The capital letters of the title bring out the boldness and advises the viewers that the film is being taken seriously. As soon as the title rolls into play, a phone rings in the background immediately to give a precursor to the opening scene of the film that is about to follow. The font of the title changes from white to red in a fading effect to echo the effect of blood soaking through clothing. The representation in the symbolism of the colour red often links to danger and with the girl screaming in the background, an ominous feeling is created from the audience with the danger that awaits the girl (who is screaming). This is imminently approaching and that we fear that she may be exposed to it in devastating consequences. As the title changes to red the scream reaches its peak by becoming increasingly louder. This shows the possible extent to how painful the girl's impending death is and the wielding of a knife, as the title changes to red, gives us the impression that her death is related to a stabbing. The echoes of the scream stretch on into the introduction of the opening scene then quickly disappears, which beckons the inevitability of her death. This gives the viewers the feeling that the girl may be the one who screams in the end. The girl puts down the phone for the first time, after an initially brief conversation with the mysterious caller. A medium shot is shown to reveal her surprising reaction to the phone being rung again straight after the previous call ended through her body movement and facial expression. The camera shortly tracks her movement on a horizontal axis then zooms in for the medium shot and there is no motion in the camera. Before she ends the first call, she says 'take it easy' which is ironic due to the fact that she is almost deceiving herself by believing that the man would do so but we immediately suspect that he will not. A medium long shot is used to show the branches of a tree that lies outside her house, which is the actual location of her death.
The part when the girl makes some popcorn becomes vital to how the scene develops later on. As soon as the girl puts the pan of popcorn on the grill, it makes the viewers question whether she will be alive by the time the popcorn is done. As the popcorn bag grows larger, the tension heightens further; this is helped with non-diegetic sounds in the orchestral music that elevates the level of panic to which the girl is feeling in this frighteningly tense experience she is going through. The moment where the orchestral music is played shows the turning point to how the girl is feeling when she enters a phase where she was once calm and composed, but now she begins to panic and becomes vulnerable to the threat. A medium long shot is presented where the girl is positioned to the right-hand side of the screen with the glass door, which is unguarded despite it being locked, is located to the left of the screen. The unguarded glass door is prone to being broken by the killer on the phone and also the girl has her back turned towards the door so she can be exposed from behind without knowing it.
Jackie Brown (Crime thriller), 1995
The choice of colour in the film title evokes positive themes which oppose to the representation of the codes and conventions displayed in a crime thriller genre. With the title being yellow, the colour symbolises happiness and liveliness that helps to elevate the mood of an atmosphere; whilst the genre reflects on the darker side of one character's actions and personality through psychological and social aspects. The director/producer's decision for the font of the film title is a deliberate attempt to mislead the audience away from their expectations of a crime thriller genre. In addition to the title, the letters all have a curvature to them which act as a distraction to deceive the audience into the approach that is taken into presenting the title. The font adds depth to the level of creativity in the presentation and the amount of charm and liveliness, from the air hostess, is matched to the uplifting tone of the song.
The choice of song for the introductory scene is uplifting but only affects the audience and not the character because the song is a non-diegetic feature and the character may be feeling different to how we should feel at that moment. Momentum builds from the start with the thrive of the optimism in the song and the woman who walks along whilst the camera is tracking her movements on a horizontal axis. The woman is clearly is an air hostess from the appearance of her smartly-dressed uniform. She has a large suitcase which is unusual as it is not necessary take aboard onto her flight. This creates suspicion about the items that lie inside the suitcase and ensures we question the innocence of the woman and whether she appears to be the person we think she is meant to be, but viewers do not suspect this. From her charisma she does not seem to be the type of person to commit any unlawful acts of violence or corruption. This distributes the message to the audience that one's charisma can be deceiving and that you should not judge anyone's personality from the naked eye. Her occupation gives her a certain level of authority and respect therefore guards do not necessarily have to inspect air hosts/hostesses as they are part of the flight crew. When the song reaches its climax the tone of the singer's voice reaches his highest note and peak which helps to lift the tension of the scene up the point where it can no longer be surpassed. When she runs, momentum is built steadily to which the song is striding towards as the scene is becoming at its most active.
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