• Questionnaire analysis
  I had not completely decided on which genre of film I would like to create and producing a questionnaire offered the opportunity to see which is most popular amongst each age group and what they like about that particular genre.
  After analysing my results it became clear that the thriller genre was the most popular with around 60% of people preferring it to the horror and romantic comedy genres. Of these 60% the majority were males between 16-18. However, this could perhaps be slightly misleading as the majority of the people who filled in my questionnaire were in this age band. However, it does show me that people within this age band enjoy watching thriller films.
  Many of the people who said they preferred thrillers said that they wanted to see violence and plot twist in thriller movies. Several people said that a good advert on the television is what makes them want to go and see a movie, several others also said that their film choice was based on the director and/or the films main actors.
  After looking over my results I’ve decided to go for a thriller film as my choice of genre. My target demographic will be males between 18-25 with a secondary demographic of thriller fans.
  
  Business data
  2008 saw a record 527 new releases to choose from with more than one in five of them UK films. In the same year cinema admissions reached 164million up 1% on 2007, with the box office taking in £850million. There were 23 thriller movies released in 2008 accounting for 5.3% of the overall releases. The genre grossed over £21million at the UK box office with the top performing movie being ‘no country for old men’.
  
  Audiences
  In 2008, 60% of the UK population said they went to the cinema at least once a year. A further 18% said they went once a month or more. 15-24 year olds were the most frequent visitors to the cinema with 42% of them saying they visited the cinema at least once a month.
  
  Box office facts
  The godfather pt1 was voted the greatest thriller of all time in an ‘imdb.com’ poll. It received an average rating of 9.2 by over 370000 voters. The film was a smash hit at the box office and won 3 Oscars and another 19 wins including a BAFTA and Golden Globe award as well as 17 other nominations. It made over $130million worldwide.
  6 out of the 18 films currently showing at showcase cinema’s are thrillers meaning the genre accounts for 33% of the current movies showing at the box office.
  The most bankable thriller of all time was batman the dark night which is believed to have grossed around $1billion worldwide. It was a recent release which means there is certainly demand for thriller movies in the UK.
  
  movie ideas
  1.A killer is stalking the main character. He leads a normal life but is haunted by a character that appears. He thinks he is imagining it until he see this character attack friends and relatives. In a dramatic plot twist the anonymous killer actually turns out to be the main character. He has split personality.
  
  2.The cold murder of a young teenage boy triggers his father to take desperate measures in order to find the man who ordered his killing. The locals wont talk and he goes to extreme lengths to make those responsible pay.
  
  3.Set on a drug riddled council estate. Local thugs are responsible for the brutal murder of a teenage boy. In a neighbourhood where many are afraid to speak out, the friend of the murdered boy makes his stand and makes those responsible pay with their own blood.
  
  4. a young man intercept radio chat from an international terrorist organisation, picking up their plans to detonate a nuclear explosion in Birmingham. He informs the police who overlook his claims. In a race against time he hunts the terrorists and attempts to stop the atrocities.
  
  Final movie- plot outline
  Vince is an infamous ,cold hearted hoodlum; the main man of local thugs responsible for the increasing crime rates on a council estate riddled with drugs, robberies and anti-social yobs.
  The film begins with brutal murder of a young teenage boy ‘Daniel’, who's returning home to his mothers council flat.
  ‘Daniels’ best friend ‘Ben’ discovers his body in the subway and reports it to the police. Police arrest members of the local gang including Vince.
  During his interview with the police he is smug and arrogant, from his attitude and body language we assume that he is guilty however, a lack of hard evidence prompts his release and he is soon back on the streets committing crime.
  ‘Ben’ who lives on the same estate is confronted by ‘Vince’ after his release, who heartlessly describes the killing of his best friend.
  He goes to the police and explains what has happened but again without hard evidence they are unable to detain him.
  Vince finds out that Ben has gone to the police and from this point onwards he becomes the victim of abuse from the local thugs, his house is petrol bombed and he is attacked in the street.
  Fearing for his safety and determined to avenge ‘Daniels’ death he buys a gun and finds himself on a blood trail hunting for those responsible.
  Flashbacks of the build up to the murder are shown throughout the film and In a dramatic plot twist ‘Ben’ finds out that it was not ‘Vince’ who killed his best friend but it was in fact ‘Bens’ older brother.
  Faced with the dilemma he persuades his brother to hand himself into the police and confess to ‘Daniels’ murder.
  
  Character profile’s
  Vince
  19 years old
  The eldest of 4 children
  Lives at home with his mom who is addicted to heroine.
  Has a criminal record GBH, robbery, grand theft auto.
  Father died when he was growing up.
  Was in and out of foster homes when he was growing up
  Dropped out of school at 14
  
  Ben
  17 years old
  the youngest of two children
  Lives at home with his single mom
  Studying at college
  Plays sport
  Happy and sociable
  polite and friendly

locations
i will use some of the council estates in the surrounding area for filming. possible areas:

• charlement housing estate (council flats)


• or chuckery walsall.


• one stop perry barr. lots of subways
  
• old industrial estate outside walsall town. derelict buildings.

task 2: identifying codes and conventions

horror
after watching and analysing several horror films i have selected what i believe to be the codes and conventions of horror films:

• eerie music
• isolated location/setting
• low level lighting
• use of tracking and panning shots
• death or murder
• blood
• evil
• religious background
• screaming both diegetic and non-diegetic
• weapons and Chase sequences
• constructed in such a way that makes you jump

These are just some of the codes and conventions i would identify with the horror genre. However i also recognise that they may be altered or played with depending on each individual movie.

thriller

in many ways the codes and conventions of thriller are similar to those of the horror genre. however unlike horror they are not constructed to scare us. the codes and conventions of thrillers:

• quick cuts and camera angle changes
• music that gives tension
• use of shadows and low lighting
• claustrophobic spaces ie. planes, tube trains cells etc.
• Chiaroscuro - light against dark
• violence
• surprise and twists in storyline
• killers point of view
• flash backs
  

romantic comedy

• romantic time and setting ie. London at Christmas time
• idea of true everlasting love
• cheesy love music soundtrack
• disruption to the relationship
• large emphasis on the equilibrium
• comedy/humour
• happy endings

Task 2 reasearch into existing products:textual analysis

the omen (2006)- horror

The Omen is an american horror remake released in 2006 and directed by John moore.
the opening credits of The Omen uses many codes and conventions of the horror genre, which we can identify within the first 2 or 3 minutes.
the title sequence uses a familiar dark black background with contrasting white writing. this is often used in horror films. it could perhaps reflect the binary opposites of good and evil or simply be used to help create an eerie atmosphere.
on he right hand side of the frame we can see a red silhouetted image of a child with a crucifix shadow. the colour red in horror films often has connotations of death or fear and it often appears in the opening credits of horror films.the crucifix as the shadow may suggest that the plot will be linked to religion as is often the case with many modern horror films (i.e. the devil and the afterlife).also the non-diegetic music is loud and eerie. it sounds like a choir singing which re-enforces the possibility of the plots religious link.
when we reach the opening sequence, the first shot is very dark. we're told via a small message in the lower corner, that it is 'June 6th, 6am'. in religious terms the number 6 could be symbolic of the devil. the low level lighting is a typical convention of horror and it would suggest that much of the film will take place during hours of darkness.
we then hear a whispering voice that speaks of the death of a child. the whispering is eerie and combined with the dark setting creates a tense atmosphere.
in the opening sequence there are several effective camera shots used that are typical of the horror genre. there are several high and low angle shots, showing dominance and vulnerability. there is also an establishing shot that looks through the railings on the stairs. i thought this shot was very effective as it appeared as if somebody was watching out of sight of the characters.perhaps stalking them or simply eavesdropping.
overall i would say that the opening sequence is affective and uses many codes and conventions of the horror genre.


Hitch- romantic comedy

Hitch is a romantic comedy directed by Andy Tenant, starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes. It was released in 2005 and received over 20 award nominations.
The credits open with a cheesy non-diegetic love song and from this we immediately get an idea of the films genre. Cheesy feel good songs are a common convention used in romantic comedies it makes the film light hearted and more appealing to the target demographic in this case the stereotypical viewer of a Rom-com would be a young women.
As the sequence begins the easily recognised voice of will smith speaks to us as the narrator. His opening statement is; Basic Principles - no woman wakes up saying "God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today!” Just from the warm tone and content of what he says we can recognize the movies genre. We know that he is speaking about relationships between sexes and the complications that often occur through them. This offers an understanding of the plot; we can identify that at some point in the film a complication will occur because of chemistry between two people.
The first shot we see is a close up of a ringing alarm clock. This shot establishes equilibrium, the idea of routine for the women in the shot. The camera pans and shows a women waking up. She is alone in bed and her facial codes would suggest that she is fed up and alone in her daily life. This idea of loneliness in a romantic-comedy is pivotal in understanding the need for relationships and love. So again this reflects the genre of the film.
The opening sequence then goes on to show interaction between men and women. There are a large number of two shots and shot reverse shots, used to emphasize the different types of communication between members of the opposite sexes. This is also reinforced by what the narrator talks about. He speaks about the different types of communication between men and women and which types we use most.
There is a POV shot used that displays eye contact or an exchange of looks between a man and a woman as she walks down the street. This is something that occurs when two people are attracted to one another.
Will Smith (Hitch) is shown in a close up shot and directly addresses the audience. This makes the audience able to apply what he is saying to their own lives. They ask themselves the same questions he is asking and answer them sub-consciously being drawn into the plot.
The opening of Hitch is successful and follows the codes and conventions of Romantic Comedies.

Fight club- Thriller

The opening sequence of fight club displays many of the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. The movie was directed by David Fincher and was released in 1999.
The opening sequence begins with non-diegetic drum and bass music. It is loud and fast, it gets the viewers blood racing. It does what the genre would suggest it thrills you. The opening credits are shown as a journey through the cells of a human body. There are bright flashes both in the background and as the actors names are revealed. They reflect the fast pace of the music and intensify the viewing experience drawing us to the edge of out seats.
As we progress through the scene we exit the body and move along an extreme close up of a gun barrel held in the mouth of a sweating man in a suit. His facial codes display fear and anxiety as he looks towards another character out of shot. From these images we know that the film will contain some level of violence because the gun is often symbolic of this. It is also symbolic of power and authority so this too could play a pivotal role in the film.
Also, the opening has a narrator speaking. It is the voice of the man with the gun in his mouth, he speaks directly to the audience and this increases tension as we are drawn into his predicament.
The action is taking place in a high rise building as the character is shown from outside the glass window looking down into the streets below. From this we know that the film will take place in the city.
The lighting in the opening is very dark. The action is taking place at night similar to the typical setting of a horror. However we do not feel scared and therefore assume that this is a thriller rather than a horror.

Task 2: research into existing products

media terms: tools of textual analysis

camera shots:

• close up
• medium close up
• extreme close up
• medium shot
• long shot
• extreme long shot/establishing shot
• crane shot
• high angle shot
• low angle shot
• tracking shot
• panning
• point of view shot (POV)
• over the shoulder
• 2 shot

Genre: The classification of any media text into a category or type.

denotation: the surface or literal meaning of what we see.

connotation: the deeper meaning to what we see. for example a dove may have connotations or peace.

verisimilitude: the idea of a believable constructed world.

representation: how things are represented through the media text. (people,groups, places etc.)

Ideology: A system of beliefs/values, which can be identified in mass media.

mise en scene: what we can see in a shot.the design and arranging of the frame. This generally includes the locations design, props, and also design of actors clothing.

sound: within media sound is often used to create a particular atmosphere. weather its light and jovial or dark and tense;the specific choice of music is often used to reflect and emphasise this.

editing: Film editing is part of the post-production process of film making. the selection of shots or sound are often chosen to create a specific reaction from the demographic.