Evaluation - Q7 - Between the preliminary task and the final product, what have I learnt and how have I progressed?

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Evaluation - Q6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The first piece of technology I was introduced to when started my media work was Adobe Premier Pro. I first began to use this software when I created my preliminary task. When I first started using it, it was quite difficult to get my head around however after a bit of trial and error I became more confident using the programme as I learnt the basics.  When I started my main task, I already knew the basics but the more and more I used it, the more I learnt. I learnt various things such as; rendering, importing images/sound, editing/cutting, transitions and many more.

This is the Adobe Premier Pro interface. The screen on the top right hand corner is where the film is placed once imported and you can edit on either screen as the screen to the left of it can also be used.
The timeline on the bottom is where all of the imported footage is dragged onto to begin the editing. This is where I cropped the footage down and put it into the order as was planned from our storyboard. To the left of the timeline is where I could select certain footage and decide whether to add transitions and any other special effects. Additionally, above that is where all the footage is imported for me to drop down to the timeline. The bar at the top of the page is where all the options are found. E.g. Rendering and Importing.

The second piece of technology I used was Adobe After Effects. I never used this is my preliminary task as I had no use for it however this was an important piece of software to use for my final opening sequence to my film.
I used this mainly for the logo being created for our production company. At first I did not know how to use it and because the teacher had never used it before I had to use youtube to figure out how to use the programme. The youtube videos were very complex for beginners like myself but after watching a few videos of people creating logos I began to develop an understanding for the software.

As you can see both of the pieces of software look very similar so in fact, it wasn't that hard to get my head around. There were only a few minor differences. One of which being that after effects was mainly aimed at the animations, transitions and whole creating of certain area's of a film e.g. Logo, Titles as oppose to the actual creation of the film.

After Watching a few youtube videos I then managed to create a logo which then was imported to Adobe Premier Pro to put at the start of my film.

This is the logo that I created. The production company is named 'Vortex Productions'. The word vortex relates to black holes which is basically the logo of our company. 

Using Adobe After Affects, I created the logo and created the title with a relatable font but I then got more technical with the software as I made the logo have an effect in which it fades in and then fades out again after a short while. I found the image off the internet however I had to edit it a bit to make the colouring darker to really give it that dark effect.

Most importantly, the piece of technology that I used 100% of the time was of course the Apple iMac. This piece of technology was not new to me as I used it at my previous school so I did have previous experience in using the bit of equipment. So when it came to working the iMac in different ways such as confidently accessing applications, opening new windows and accessing safari etc. I knew exactly how to do it which definitely helped in the production of my film. 

The Apple iMac itself is a very stylish piece of equipment with a big screen which definitely helps when creating films etc. As it is a very creative piece of technology which is better than your standard computer as the use of applications are more compatible to these models but also the quality of the iMacs themselves are fantastic, especially when you can work in high definition (HD). 

Another important piece of technology I had to use in this whole process was indeed, the video camera. The video camera I used was called the 'INSERT WORD HERE'. This was a vital part of the process as without this essential device, the film would not have been produced. Before the preliminary task, I had never used a video camera before (besides a mobile phone camera) and I had a vague idea of how to use it. All I knew was how to actually record footage. After a bit of trial and error with a experienced cameraperson (Jodie Heath - My Film Making Partner) I became to become familiar with how the video camera worked. 

When it came to creating the final product, I began how to do various different things involving the video camera. These things include, zooming in/out, focusing on particular objects/people and also the depth of field. Without learning how to do this, I wouldn't of achieved as good camera shots as I did so this definitely benefited my final film product.

Lastly, the final piece of technology I have used throughout the film making process has of course be blogger. The website of blogger is www.blogger.com. This is where I have been posting everything and anything related to my Media Studies course. Most importantly, this is where I have been uploading everything to do with my film, including the actual video of my final film and preliminary tasks. This also includes all analysis, research and evaluations I have undergone in the whole process.

At first I had never used blogger before. When I created my account, I had no idea how to create posts, embed videos or import any sort of images. However with a bit of guidance my familiarity with the website began to increase to the point where I am extremely confident in how to use it and all things I can do to make a good blog. 

First screen as I log in

Second screen to access my blog posts

Evaluation - Q5 - How did you attract your audience?

How did you attract your audience?

I attracted my audience for my film through various different area's within the film such as the characters used, the theme of the film itself and the topics which have been covered.

The characters used are stereotypical in horror-thriller films. Our main character, the protagonist is a teenage girl. In many other horror-thriller films the female character is often a main character who does end up dying in some way or another. I think this attracts our audience as this appeals to the  horror-thriller film audience by the use of this character. I think because the character in our film does actually end up surviving and with some sort of happy ending, this sort of is a unique selling point as not many horror-thriller films have this sort of ending however I think because of the nature of the film, although she survives people still die which obviously, horror-thriller fans love to see but the fact that she survives and finds out who the character is gives our film an edge over other films therefore attracting our audience in which we aimed to attract.

We also attracted our audience through the topics of our film. The film I produced is about a girl who has a stalker who is watching her every move, murdering those around her and leaving her by last by scaring her. Which leads to her finding out who it is. The topics therefore include being stalked by a mysterious character who nobody knows who it is all film as it could be anyone, even one of her closest friends. The aspect of mystery appeals to most audiences who love the thriller genre and more particularly the mystery thriller aspect with the addition of the horror genre. So the audience we aimed at will find our storyline and topics involved very interesting and more attracted to watching our film.

I also think the name of our film attracts the audience. The name of our film is 'Shadow'. 
The use of the word shadow appeals to our targeted audience as the word shadow itself gives the impression of being followed and constantly behind you watching every move which is our storyline. I think this is thought out cleverly as with a bit of thought our story can be mirrored by the name of our film. Shadow itself can be scary and with that aspect of horror and thriller through the name it particularly does attract our audience we aimed at.

Although our film is very much unique with our stalker being found out, it can also be similar to other successful films in different aspects of what we included.
One aspect may be by the use of pov shots. This is very similar to the film 'Halloween' as the opening is purely a pov shot which gives the audience the suggestion that they are watching the film through someone elses eyes which gives the audience that interaction within our film which may also attract them.

Another film that is similar in some aspects is 'Hide and Seek'. This is not really about a stalker as such but the mysterious character in that film is not unveiled until the end where he is shot dead which is very similar to ours as our antagonistic mysterious character unveiled and also killed at the end. Both of which are not shown on screen (knowing of them being that mysterious character) until the very end.

Evaluation - Q4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my film is the thriller/horror film lover.

Not just that but also the audience age range is between 25-39 meaning we are targeting the young adults/middle aged audience. The use of younger characters however does add to the target audience of teenagers, preferably the older teenagers between the ages of 16-19 due to the graphic images which are in our film.

Additionally in their lifestyle, their favourite sports are mainly boxing and snooker. Boxing for example can be a very violent sport meaning blood can be the end result and can be gory. Therefore because are film is about the violence and the killing of close friends/relatives the fact our audiences favourite sport is boxing helps aid to the fact we know they will like the film.

Also one of their favourite activities is video games. Video games in particular nowadays have amazing graphics and with the violent games out now shows they love the gore and violence meaning they should be attracted to my film.

The personality of our target audiences

The majority of our target audience describe themselves as 'Barmy', 'Easy to talk to' and 'Barmy'.

This shows that they are crazy people who love to have a laugh and love conversation. The fact that our film is a very crazy, all over the place thriller/horror adds to the attraction to our film.

What our target audience likes

- The fact our target audiences favourite films include; Final Destination, Nightmare on elm street and The exorcist. This shows they love the horror and the blood and the gore which is all included in our film meaning they would be very much attracted to my film.

Our target audience are varied people but have clear tastes and likes which we incorporate in our film. E.g. Boxing which shows violence which is also showed within our film. This shows that our film has the likes and wants that the audience want in these films meaning they would like to watch our film therefore our audience is clear and would have been achieved as our target audience.

Evaluation - Q3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media products and why?

The kind of institution that would want to distribute my film would be by the likes of Warner Bros.
Warner bros are known for making films in similiar genre's to mine a long with other genre's.
The highest grossing horror film in 2014 was 'Annabelle', this was distributed by Warner Bros.
They grossed $84,263,837 by December 2014.

Distributed by Warner Bros however produced by New Line Cinema, Evergreen Media Group, The Safran Company and RatPac-Dune Entertainment. This is a classic example of what would happen if my film were to be distributes. Warner Bros would distribute my film from my production company, Vortex Productions.

Warner Bros would distribute my film as most horror-thriller films are very similar and although mine is quite similar, it has its own unique factors. Because of the massive success of Annabelle and other films they have distributed, mine would be more or just as successful. So companies like Warner Bros are the likely institutions to distribute my media product.

My media product is similar to Annabelle and other popular horror/thriller films as we have incorporated lots of different conventions into our film. These include having the mysteriousness of the unknown character but also the amount of deaths and the gore within the film. This can be similarly associated with various other popularly distributes films. This means that institutions such as Warner Bros will have full confidence in my media product by becoming successful and gaining a lot of money by getting a high gross amount.

Evaluation - Q2 - How does your media product present particular social groups?

Our film, 'Shadow' is a horror/thriller about a girl being stalked whose friends, family and anyone close to her are being killed by this murderer.
Because of the nature of the film and the genre this is situated in I believe particular social groups can be presented through our film.
I think we have done this through the use of characters.

Mollie, who is our main character is a young teenage girl who is living a relatively normal life and has never encountered anything like this in her whole life. The fact she is the one being targeted may be because of her vulnerability. We chose a female character because stereotypically women may be considered to be the weaker sex when it comes to these situations. In the majority of horror/thriller films women are usually vulnerable and in most cases, die. However we decided to make Mollie the protagonist and actually overcome and beat this antagonistic serial killer which may be deemed weird in this genre. The fact Mollie overcomes and beats the situation by finding out who the killer/stalker is shows how strong she is and how determined she is to find the person who is causing so much devastation to her and who is left in her family. So this character in particular represents women in the current day as stereotypically women are weak however this shows that maybe thats not the case so this represents the strength of women as shown through our character in the film.

Also the stalker is also stereotypically a male. Obviously the audience do not find this out until the end as that is how the film is planned out. However the fact the stalker is a male is stereotypical as no-one would expect a stalker who also murders people to be a female as males are stereotypically more aggressive and more known for modern day as more likely to murder or stalk, especially if the victim is a female. This therefore represents males as an aggressive, violent gender who think they will never lose however in the end he does in fact get caught out therefore showing that eventually he will lose. This represents the male gender as this may be the case in most modern day males, by the the fact they may think they will always win, not necessarily the part to do with the murder. The murder is just there to represent males characteristics.

Another social group which is represented through our film is teenagers. In the film most of the characters are teenagers as the film is based around a character who is still at school. Teenagers are stereotyped to be immature, irresponsible people who act without thinking of the consequences first.
In the film, Mollie is a strong character who finds out in the end who is the stalker which shows determination and the strength which shows that the stereotype of immaturity isn't the case in most teenagers its just that certain teenagers do give that representation. However through our film we are showing that there are different types, not all are the same.

So in our film we do present a various range of different social groups in different ways within our film as we present males, females, teenagers etc. This shows we have thought about the characters and what we wanted the audience to think when they watch our final product.

Evaluation - Q1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

 

This shot shows we have established a setting. This is the convention of the film as it is an establishing shot meaning our  thriller is being shown.

In this shot there are 2 people meaning this shot is a 2 shot. This is also a wide angle shot which has a partially restricted view. This suggests that perhaps this is someone's point of view meaning this could potentially be pov shot. This causes mystery as if this is a pov shot, the audience want to know who this is. Because of the mystery caused, this is then clear that this film could be a thriller as that is one of the main conventions that we have included.

In this shot, it is a medium shot. This includes one of the female characters from the previous shot close up as she opens up her locker. This shot creates an enigma as to what is in the locker, as it is yet still undiscovered. This creates even more mystery which would've progressed from the previous shot resulting in clear conventions of a thriller film.

This shot is a long shot and a high angle shot which has the CCTV effect added onto it. This adds to the fact of being watched but also within the shot itself, it is very slow and jumpy which makes the CCTV shot itself seem even more realistic.

This is an over the shoulder shot of the character shown in the previous shots in which she is holding a note. The note shows its importance very well in this shot as the fact the note is in the centre of the camera means that the audience are immediately drawn to the note and when they read 'I'm watching you', it gives an aspect of creepiness and mysteriousness, both of which are key conventions in making a successful thriller film.

This shot is a medium close up of the character after she had seen the note, this is so the audience can see the characters facial expression after seeing the note to see how she would've reacted.

This next shot shows the character throwing the piece of paper in the bin. This also shows that her reaction is more of maybe somebody's messing around and thinks nothing of it. The shot itself is a medium long shot but also a wide shot. This is because it is reasonably further away but also wide as a lot of the background is shown within this shot. Also what you do not see from a screenshot is that the camera actually pans which shows the movement of the character.

This shot is a long shot as you can see the whole body of the person in the shot but also quite a lot of the background. This is so the audience can establish the new environment and this would be the first change of scene.  It is also a wide shot so as much as the background as possible is included within the shot.

This shot is a medium long shot of the character as you can see more than the waist upwards meaning its not a mid shot however this shot also shows quite a lot of the background which shows a wide shot which may suggest that the character in the shot is in her house. Also the shot focuses on the girl but also the note making them centre shot. The fact the scrunched up note had reappeared at the characters house causes an enigma for the audience as they would be thinking, 'who put the note there' and 'how did it get there'.

This shot is a big close up of the character. We incorporated this shot to show the emotions on the characters face after she revealed the scrunched up note only to be scrunched up in her house. Her face suggests her being frightened but also confusion as to how the note got there.

The next shot changes the scene so the fact we started out with a long shot sets the scene. You can now see that it is the next day as what looks to be a school as they are wearing uniforms. The shot shows the two original characters from the start of the film together talking and shows them having a conversation.

These 3 combines shots include various shots, with the most obvious being that it is a shot reverse shot. The shot reverse shot is mainly configured when two or more characters are having a conversation so that you can see the talking characters face but also part of the other character to show that it is that character they are speaking to. Also with the shots there are over the shoulder shots which also add to the conversation outline from the shot reverse shot. Additionally the fact the main character has the scrunched up note in her hand suggests she is speaking about the incident and is seeking advice and the facial expressions tell the story. The main character looks confused however the friend looks like she's trying to help but looks as though she is telling her it's not a big deal and just someone playing a prank.

The next shot is a close up of the characters face to show the emotion and facial expressions. In this shot the character looks confused but a bit more cheery by the advice her friend has just gave her. So by the use of the shot, feelings can be shown.

The next shot shows the two characters walking off as it appears to be the main characters bag has gone missing. The shot itself is a long shot as it is including the whole of both the characters body but also establishes the background scenery. The walking off shows determination to get the bag back.

The next shot shows a pov of one of the characters views. You can immediately see the bag on the floor which tells the audience that maybe it had been stolen or maybe something has been taken.



Start by explaining how you have followed the forms and conventions of the genre you have worked in. Make links between your work and existing films and explin how they have influenced decisions.

Go on to discuss how you revised or altered the production thruoghout the process.

Explain how you have challenged the conventions or developed the genre in a new way 

THis could be an audio commnterya in addition to a written blog post. 

Final Film

Risk Assessments (Task 10)

What is a risk assessment?

A risk assessment is a process of evaluating the potential risks that may be involved in a projected activity or undertaking. It’s a big step in protecting workers and business as well as following the law. For most, this means simple, cheap and effective measures to ensure your workforce is protected. Risk assessment in the film industry complies with their legal duties to eliminate or reduce risk from their work. These include:

·      Defining responsibilities and duties,

·      Have a system for managing health and safety,

·      Assess and manage risks,

·      Regularly review the process and procedures for managing risk.

Why have a risk assessment?

       If an incident should occur on set of making your film that leaves someone that you have working for you injured mentally or physically it can mean that you could personally be fined or even potentially go to prison because of it! Where as if you have a risk assessment in means that you have taken into consideration everything that could go wrong and write up how you would plan to resolve them so that no one got injured.

Who uses a risk assessment?

The producer is the main person to use a risk assessment as they are the ones who actually produce it. They use it to analyse the risks that may occur within the filming of the film.

Risk Assessment

Hazards:

·      Slips and Trips

·      Fall down the stairs

Who might be harmed and how

·      Actors and crew may be injured if they trip over objects or slip on spillages

·      Actors and crew might fall down stairs as filming is in low key lighting – may not see where they are going

What to do to manage the risk?

·      Be careful with spillages and keep wires and objects out of the way to reduce the risk of tripping over.

·      Have a handrail on the stairs, or use a extra light so you can see where your going.

Film Progress Post

Once we recorded all of the footage of our film, we began to edit on a programme called, 'Adobe Premier Pro'.

This was a completely new programme for me to use so of course at first I didn't have a clue of how to use it.

After a bit of trial and error, I became more knowledgable of how to use the programme.
First of all we imported all of our recordings which was relatively easy but then we began to drag our video's down which is when we cut certain parts and tried to fit them together to make the beginning of our film. We had to do this by making the shots blend in and not look as if we have just put shots together for the sake of it.

This is when I became comfortable using the programme and confident in my abilities to make our film good enough as a first cut. Obviously we will have to edit more and possibly get new shots but that is all in improving what we have already got but when it comes to using this programme, I know the majority of the tools on there with a few exceptions of tools I do not know and quite possibly will never use. It all depends on whether that tool in particular will help us when editing.

Title Sequences

These are some of the titles for the thriller film, SE7EN.
I in particularly like the fact they look like they have been cut in to the image.

This font is really ragged and generally small compared to most other film titles in the industry within the same similar genre.

This font or something similar would work perfectly with our film as our film is a thriller/horror and and this font looks scary. Any other font, for example, Times New Roman is a very olden styled font which would mainly be used in historical older films but ours is meant to be a scary, mysterious opening to get the audience immediately on the edge of their seats and I believe that the font shown in the pictures above for the film 'SE7EN' really shows that.

Also the colouring they have used shows conventions of the thriller genre and the horror genre. The black background is dark and connotes that dark is to come and evil may be within which is a very good thing to incorporate into or film of this genre. So the font in particular to the colour of the background and titles really helps the film show that this is a thriller/horror film and starts the movie off with a bang.

Casting (Role Allocation)

In our film we are producing we have came up with the following roles of the casting members who are going to be included within the making up of our media product.

Producer - Jodie Heath
Director - Jake Taylor
Editor - Jodie Heath
Cameraperson - Jodie Heath
Writer - Jake Taylor
Actresses - Jessica Bayliss
                - Bethan Perry

Feedback - Miss Spencer

Good research into risk assessments - but can you actually put your own risk assessment on the post please.

The film pitch/idea is also a proficient piece of work. You have gone into detail and thought about how the film fits onto the conventions of the genre.
I would now like to see a full film treatment to ensure you are moving your work into a level 3

Storyboard

The Script

Shadow

This is the script for our film 'Shadow'.




FIRST SCENE - SCHOOL LOCKERS


Beth: Right, I'll see you tomorrow. (Whilst Laughing)

Mollie: See you later!



SECOND SCENE - MOLLIE'S HOUSE


Mollie: Mom I'm Home. (Shouting)



THIRD SCENE - SCHOOL CLASSROOM

Beth: Hiya. (Happy)

Mollie: Oh, hi. (Sad)

Beth: What's up? (Confused)

Mollie: *Sigh* I found this note in my locker yesterday and then the same note was in my house on         the kitchen table. Do you know who it is?

Beth: I wouldn't worry about it, it'll just be someone winding you up. People do it all the time.

Mollie: Are you sure? It's a bit weird isn't it? I'm actually really scared. (Scared)

Beth: Nah, it'll just be a joke, it'll just be somebody winding you up, don't worry about it.

Mollie: Oh I suppose you're right.

Beth: Nothing to worry about.

          Oh can I borrow your memory stick?


Mollie: Yeah... Beth, where's my bag?

Beth: It was there weren't it?... It can't be far.



FOURTH SCENE - SCHOOL TOILETS

Beth and Mollie: OMG!

Mollie: Where's my phone?

Film Pitch

SHADOW

 

A teenage girl called Mollie is being threatened and followed by an anonymous stalker, who knows all of her deepest secrets. She receives constant text messages, emails and notes manipulating her into doing things which result in hurting her family, friends and herself. If she doesn't obey, this mysterious sender, her loved ones will die. At the same time of doing as she's told, she is investigating who this could be tormenting her and why they are after her.

The whole film is a complete mystery as you don't discover who the stalker is until the very end. This will create a lot of tension throughout the film because you will be suspecting everyone who interacts with the main character therefore creating suspense which is a key convention of thriller we are keen to involve in the film. Furthermore the constant secrecy makes the audience feel on edge as they cant trust any of the characters.

The main character is called Mollie, she is a 16 year old girl and is a student at her local sixth form. She is seen as a vulnerable character at the beginning of the film as she gets easily scared and paranoid about the mysterious stalker. But as the film develops, she grows into a strong, confident and fiery character as she has to strengthen herself to deal with these threats and messages in order to find out who is behind it.

If I could choose any director to direct our film, it would be Drew Goddard. He is famous for directing the horror/thriller Cabin In The Woods and has written thrillers like World War Z and Cloverfield. This is an advantage for us as we have an experience director who specialises in this particular genre. The ideal actress to play our main character Mollie is Amanda Seyfried. I think she will be perfect for this role because she is an actress that usually plays innocent characters which is how we want to portray Mollie in the film. The only difference with the role that I would want Amanda Seyfried to play is the fact of being innocent in the beginning but completely changing how the character acts throughout the film as in the beginning she is all sweet and innocent but gradually progressing through the film she become fiery and determined to catch the culprit behind the stalking's and murders of her close family and friends.

The typical conventions of a thriller/horror film that we plan to use are point of view, deaths, gore and CCTV shots. Point of view shots connote that someone is being secretive and hiding something, in this case they are hiding their identity from the audience. CCTV shots also support the fact that the main character is being watched and spied on. The deaths and gore wont be in the opening of our film, but if we were to film the whole of it it would include these conventions.
Furthermore, the use of the pov shots and the over the shoulder shots help show to the audience that they are seeing everything from potentially, the stalker/killers pov which can help create tension as the audience can tell what is about to happen whereas the characters in the film do not so clear conventions of horror/thriller are to be shown throughout.

Feedback - Miss Spencer

You have done some detailed analysis of the films you have chosen Jake, and there are many examples of times when you have thought about the conventions and the effect of camera movement/ angles/ sound on the audience. I would like to see more discussion of editing and also mention of Iconography and character more.
I will talk this through with you in class.
Your work is at a level 2/3 border, in order to improve you need to move away from describing scene by scene and get more into analysing elements of the opening.

Opening Sequence Analysis (Task 2.1) - Drive (Thriller Analysis)

This is the opening sequence of the thriller film, Drive. This is a thriller but is a different kind of thriller. The most well known thriller is mainly a horror/thriller however this film as you can tell by the opening sequence is an action/thriller with an aspect of neo-noir.

As soon as the sequence begins, the first factor you really notice is the music in the background. The music played sounds modernized, like something you would hear on the radio giving you the impression this may be played in someone's car which therefore is relating to the title of the film, 'Drive'.

The first shot that you see is an established shot which shows the view of the whole city in the night time. The shot seems to be filmed quite high, this gives instant conventions to an action/thriller as heights are known for danger and intensity therefore introducing the genre nicely into the opening sequence.

This same shot is then moving slowly around giving a better view of the city by using a 'pan'. This shot is very useful as it gives you more to see as you get to see from different angles.

This the continues until the next shot occurs, this then smoothly transitions to a new shot of a low angle shot which is useful as low angle shots give the impression that the person above it is very powerful which may suggest that they are in charge so instantly you feel that this character is a very powerful man. The male himself is roughly 30 years old, blonde dark hair, who is good looking and has a facial expression which shows no emotion. The character himself is actually played by Ryan Gosling who is a very established Hollywood actor, who is mainly known for roles in the action/thriller genre which is very good as it shows experience but also the audience know that the film is going to be good.

Also the titles throughout are very professional. The colour of purple, makes the titles stand out so the audience actually look and take notice other than being discrete and just being non-existent to the audience so the bright colour is a good addition to the titles. The font itself is neatly joined up with a formal look to it which is unusual for action/thriller but it blends in to the scene which is very important and well done in this opening sequence.

Another aspect is the fact it starts off with the character in the car. The fact he is in the car relates to the fact the title of the film is called 'Drive' and he is actually in the car but also the same original music playing in the background does sound like music on a radio and it may be suggested that it is coming from the radio in the car the male character is driving.

This the cuts to a different shot where you see the male driving away. The shots used as he is driving vary from shots such as an over the shoulder shot but also a pov shot. These shots are used to show the audience what the character himself is seeing which can be good as they may get a feel for the character. 

The next shot in a birds eye view shot of the car itself driving along lots of busy roads. This shot shows the audience exactly where he is and where he is going. Giving the aspect of being followed which can be considered a thriller convention.

The next shot shows the male character in the car again, but this time from a side shot which is also a medium shot of the character. This shot gives you the sense of the male character is driving the car with you, the audience in the passenger seat which may connote the audience being a passenger in the movie as he is going to give you a ride the audience would have never experienced. This is a clever shot to use as it may feel like the audience are being involved in the film itself which gets the audiences attention.

The next shot shows the character parking his car, showing that he is stopping and about to go somewhere. The only thing about this shot is, you don't know whether the character pulling up in the car is the same character as in the previous shots. This can give a sense of mystery which of course creates intensity which are both conventions of the thriller genre.

 The next shot then tells the audience that it actually is the same character pulling up in the car. Even though this is an over the shoulder shot and as the audience, you can only see his back/shoulder you know it's the same character due to what he is wearing as the same clothing is being worn by the character in the previous shots.

Also similarly to previous shots the over the shoulder shot, then cuts to a pov shot in exactly the same way it did earlier on in the sequence. Additionally this gives the audience the satisfaction of knowing they see what the character is seeing and the pov shot itself clarifies that.

These shots show the male getting in an elevator to go upstairs/downstairs in what looks like an apartment building/shopping centre. As the elevator closes this jump cuts to a shot of the same male character opening a door to what looks like is his room/apartment therefore backing up the point that is looked like he was approaching his area of living.

As the male gets inside the property, he looks confused, looks around and then drops a bag and leaves. The shots used in the few seconds are a low angle shot, therefore showing is power and dominance once again but also a shot of the character walking away and leaving the bag. This then gives the audience the thought of 'What was in the bag?' and 'Why did he leave the bag?' therefore creating mystery which makes the audience think about possibilities. This is a major aspect of thriller as you never know what's about to happen so creating mystery and intensity is key in creating a successful thriller film in which this case successfully did.

After the character leaves the building there a jump cut to a birds eye view shot of the character driving his car along busy roads again at night. The fact the same shots are being used is useful as it gives the audience the feel that they know the characters moves and they are watching him. 

This then leads to the last shot before the end of the opening sequence. The last shot is once again, an over the shoulder shot. This time it looks as if as an audience member, you are in the backseat watching the drivers every move as he drives on. As the shot continues the same music that has been playing from the start begins to fade away as the opening sequence is coming to an end. 

In this opening sequence, it does exactly what an opening sequence should do in the thriller genre. This is to create a sense of mystery and intensity without giving too much information away. From this opening sequence nothing was given away at all, there was no dialogue, there was only one character present apart from the woman he walked past and mystery was created. One of the main reason I think this was done successfully was the way the camera was worked and how each shot was put into place. The pov shot for example really gave the audience the feel that they saw what the character himself was seeing showing them his every move but also the birds eye view shot showed the audience that they saw his every move once more but this time they were following him from a distance. 

So this opening sequence showed lots of conventions of thriller and really made that evident which was why it would be a successful opening sequence to a thriller film.

Opening Sequence Analysis (Task 2.1) - The Holiday (Romantic Comedy Genre)

This is the opening sequence of the romantic comedy film, The Holiday.
The film begins with Columbia Productions and Universal with their opening to show that they are the production companies behind the production of this film. After they fade away, the first titles begin to fade in. When the titles fade in, the background is blurry however as the titles fade away, the background becomes clearer. Then as the titles fade away the first shot occurs. This shot is a medium close up and shows a male character kissing a female character. This instantly shows you that this film will include romance which is supporting the genre of this film, which is indeed a romantic comedy. You know this as kissing and showing affection is a clear convention of the romantic comedy convention. The opening sequence instantly starts with a piano playing soft, long notes which fluctuate in notes to create a romantic atmosphere from the get go. This helps add to the fact that this is a romantic film so this helps the audience get the romantic feel. At 0:28 seconds as the young couple are shown kissing, their is a background noise of birds tweeting. This is an ambient sound intentionally included to add to the romantic atmosphere.

This then continues for a few seconds with the titles fading in and out whilst the couple dance. The male looks like a male in his late 20's whilst the female looks more like she is in her mid 20's. There relationship judging by this affection shown, looks like they are a couple.

The next shot is a zoom out from the young couple. As the shot begins to zoom out you can see that what has been shown so far is only on a television screen monitor being viewed by a new character. This character looks like a 40 year old man, whom has a messy look to him. He is a recognised actor named Jack Black. He is widely known for his appearances in comedic films, therefore adding to the fact that this is a romantic comedy film. This shows the audience that because Jack Black is in the film, they know what type of film this is. The character he is playing looks like a recording artist/producer as his occupation due to the fact he is playing the keyboard with a musical tab on screen. The fact he is playing the keyboard may suggest that the piano sound which in the beginning opening was played by him.

A few seconds later, a voice over begins to play of an woman's voice, sounding particularly delicate in a story like manner talking about love connoting the fact this is a romantic comedy. She quotes William Shakespeare, who is a well known 16th/17th century English poet/playwrite who's poems/plays are largely associated with love/romance which furthers the connotation of this film being romance based.

As the voice over continues, it jump cuts to a shot of a newly introduced character. The character is a female, roughly 25-30 years old. When she approaches the character played by Jack Black he kisses her hand showing that there is a potential relationship which we as the audience, do not know yet. 

As the shot continues, the woman is about to walk away but the male character does not let go of her hand suggesting that they don't want to let go of each others hands. This is a similar event in the film 'Titanic' which Rose says she will never let go of Jacks hand. This was down to love. So this suggests that these two characters in this opening sequence may be in love.

As the character leaves, the shot changes. The shot changes by a transition which slides the screen the left.

After the transition the shot changes to a medium shot of a new character. This character is a blonde woman who is approximately 30 years old. The shot then changes to a dark haired man who is approximately in his mid thirties. The woman and man have two separate shots individually but by the way they look at the camera, it makes you think they are looking each other which then the shot changes where you can see the woman and the man sitting in a car next to each other. 

This quickly changes to a shot of the car pulling away and as you can see the car is a Porsche 911 Carrera S, suggesting the male driving the car is particularly wealthy. This is the second part of evidence to suggest the males wealthiness as the first part would be that the gentleman is wearing a suit showing his formality.

The scene then does a jump cut to a completely different scene. This shows an elderly man with his walking stick, approaching his bed. As he goes to sit down, the camera focuses on a picture on the desk which shows a black and white image of a woman in a wedding dress. This instantly gives you the impression that  this is a picture of this gentleman's wife but since it focuses on the picture it gives the impression that she had passed away. Also the fact he then holds the picture in distress whilst the voice over says 'For some, simply love is lost' adds to the suggestion that she was his wife which has now passed away.

This then cuts to a different scene of a new character with an alcoholic beverage in a bar walking up to his friends. This then focuses on a woman who looks at the gentleman who then they catch each other's eye. Suggesting romance is possible and connoting the aspect of love and romantic comedy even more.

This then cuts to a different scene of a new character, this character is a blonde woman, Also in her thirties, she is formally dressed sitting in a chair at a desk. This suggests that the woman is at her workplace. The fact she is with no male suggests she has no male in her life. So far in the opening sequence every male has been with a female suggesting they are in love however this woman is alone suggesting no love.

At first you can't see the female but as the camera pans round so can see that the character is actually played by Hollywood actress, Kate Winslet. Kate Winslet is a well known actress who is mainly known for her role as Rose in 'Titanic'. Titanic is a romantic based film, and because Kate Winslet was the main role in that film gives you the impression that this film is also romance based suggesting that this is a romantic comedy.

This then cuts to her running out of what looks like her office into a hall based area where she stares at a new character. This character is a man aged around 40 who has dark hair. The relationship from this point we can gather is that she loves this man however he does not take notice. We can tell this through the way the camera is worked. The shot itself shows the woman staring which then cuts to a shot of him talking socially unaware of the fact he is being stared at. Showing that this could be a love which he is unaware of.

The next shot is a medium close up where you can see the woman is distressed/upset for some unforeseen reason that you do not know yet. The frustrated character walks off but every so often keeps staring at the male character showing love that has been broken. Due to the voice over you can tell that the woman speaking is the woman in the shot as she tells the audience that, that is her and is describing her endless love for that gentleman who then catches her eye whilst staring. So all the love shown in the opening sequence really shows that this film is based around romance and the relationships but also because of all the different characters it focuses on the fact that love can be found by anyone and anywhere no matter how rich, good looking, old etc. Love can be found and in the opening sequence this message is clearly showed.