Questionaire

On the left is a questionnaire that we created to find out what type of film genre our target audience might like. We also used it to help us decide what film title to use in the final product. This questionnaire helped us determine what to include in our opening scene to help attract people to come watch our film.

On the right is our questionnaire filmed out by someone outside our group.

Make-Up we could use for our opening scene

Make-Up tutorials we could use for our opening scene

In this first Youtube video it shows us how to use make-up to make a realistic bruise. This is an idea we could use for our opening scene to make our fight scene look more professional. 

This second youtube video also shows how to make a realistic bruise but we ended up not using it because nobody in the group knew how to do make-up.

In the end we ended up not using any of these tutorials because we couldn't use make-up.

Interview

Interview

This is a short interview we created to tell the audience a little bit about our film. We talked about our unique selling points and why we chose a certain age rating. We also mentioned what age group our target audience was going to be and why. 

Shot Lists

Close Up

Medium Shot/Two Shot










Long Shot












Over the Shoulder Shot

Low Angle

High Angle

Analysed Film Trailer from the same Genre of FIlm

Taken

This is the trailer for the film Taken. We have picked Taken as a film to analyse because it is an action Thriller Film which is also the genre film as the one we are creating. In the first part of the trailer it shows a relationship between a father and his daughter. This tells us that something bad will happen to them because they are the main focus at the beginning of the trailer. In the next scene the setting is in Paris and there is two camera shots showing the father and daughter having a conversation over the phone. The trailer then continues to show fast paced scenes in this format. This makes the scenes more dramatic because everything is happening very quickly. There is also music that slowly speeds up at the end of the trailer when the main protagonist is speaking to someone on the phone. As the music quickens the rate at which different scenes flash up also increase. This makes this part of the trailer very dramatic because there is a long build to when the main protagonist says "I will find you, and I will kill you".

Opening Scene Script

This is the script we used for our opening scene.

Thriller Genre Analysis

These are some of the conventions of the Thriller Genre film.

Costume and Location Research

Costume

This is the coat that Callum will be wearing for his character. 

Location

This is the location that we are going to set our opening scene. It will be behind the local community center. We have picked this location because not many people walk behind the community center making it easier for us to film our opening scene. Our location was right next some train tracks but it wasn't much of a problem because we let the trains pass before we started filming again.

Audience Research and Profiling

This is data from the website Pearl & Dean which shows the different type of people who went to watch Taken.

The data shows that the typical audience member who went to watch Taken was in between the ages 15-24. This shows that Taken appealed to mostly young people, it also shows that people below the ages of 15 were not the target audience because of the 15 age rating. From the data table we can also tell that the target audience was men due to the fact that 54% of the audience was men. The data table also tells us that most of the viewers are working class.

Similar films

Opening Titles

Analyse film opening titles in detail - Font researched

This film opening title is bold and stands out from the darker grey background. It is also splattered with blood which connotes violence and horror.

The SE7EN opening title is in white and has the worn effect on some parts of the letters. The title also has faded and out of place copies of itself which gives the effect that the title is flashing about.

The letters in this title are displayed in an olden days styled text. This makes it look mythical and makes the audience feel like they are entering a fantasy world.

Institution Research

Institution Research

An institution is a company that produces media products. Examples of some film institutes are: Paramount, Warner Brothers, Colombia etc. There is a short list for each film institute showing what films they have made.

Columbia - Pictures
The Bounty Hunter, The Karate Kid, Grown Ups, Salt and The Other Guys.

Lionsgate
The Hunger Games, American Psycho, The Last Witch Hunter, Kick-Ass and SAW.

Miramax Films
The Boy In Striped Pajamas, City of Men, The Boys are Back, Everybody's Fine and Doubt.

Paramount
Forest Gump, World War Z, Rango, The Godfather and Transformers.

Universal Studios

Despicable Me, ET, Jaws, The Mummy and Fast and Furious Franchise.

20th Century Fox 

Avatar, Deadpool, The Wolverine, Independence Day and The Martian.

Music we are going to use in our opening scene

Track 1

This is the soundtrack we are going to use for the more dramatic scenes in our opening scene. This music makes the audience think that the main protagonist is in danger and this therefore builds tension. We thought that this soundtrack was more suitable than Track 2 because it didn't have the horror thriller theme that Track 2 had and it was also must louder than Track 2.

Track 2

This is the soundtrack we are going to use for the beginning of our clip to build up tension in the audience. This soundtrack will only be played over the production team at the beginning of our opening scene because we thought that the soundtrack didn't fit the scenes. We didn't pick this sound track over Track 1 because the beat was too slow paced and didn't fit the fight scene near the end of the opening scene.

Classification Research

Classification Research

Universal (U)

Universal is an audience which is suitable for children 4 years and above. In Universal films there is no discrimination because it is not suitable for the young audience. However there may be drug references which have to be backed up with an anti-drug use message. There may also be violence but it must be animated, extremely unrealistic/over the top or it must be used for comedic purposes. Nudity and sex is not acceptable in a film that has been given a Universal certificate. The only thing that will be shown is kissing.

Parental Guidance (PG)

Parental guidance is used for general viewing, parents can decide whether their children are able to watch films rated PG. References to drugs must be subtle and must include an anti-drug message. Mild language can be used in these films but frequent use of mild language can lead to the film being passed as a higher certificate. PG films are able to contain a sequence where the character is in danger but it must not be too long or too intense. Violence can be contained in these films but it must be mild and not in detail.

12A/12

Films that are rated 12A/12 are suitable for children 12 years old and older. The misuse of drugs in these films should not be glamorised. Moderate language may be used but strong language won't be accepted if it is used too frequently used throughout the film. Nudity and sex maybe be used but it must be discreet. Physical and psychological threats may be portrayed but they must be mild and infrequent. Violence can also be portrayed in films rated 12A/12 but injuries and blood must not be in great detail. 

15

For our film we want it to be a 15 so that we are aiming at the teenage audience. If we were to carry on and make a whole film these are the types of things that we would need to take into consideration. In a film with a 15 certificate there might be some discrimination, this might include racism and discrimination to homosexuals. There is usually strong language in these films but the frequency of strong language in the film prevents it from becoming a film with an 18 certificate. Nudity and sex in 15 rated films are sometimes portrayed but it is not shown in a lot of detail. Violence is usually portrayed in 15 rated films as well but sadistic violence is not accepted.

18

Films given a 18 film certificate can contain lots of strong language and violence which is portrayed in detail. Drug misuse doesn't have to be backed up with a anti-drug use message. Sex and nudity is normally not censored in films rated 18 and can be shown in detail.

Our film is an action thriller and because of the popularity with young people for this genre, we would be aiming for a 15 certificate for release if we were to approach the BBFC with our final production.
Below there is a profile for the film Transporter 3. This film is an action thriller film and below it shows that the age rating is 15 and 37% of the audience is from the ages 15-24. 72% of the audience was also male telling us that the male gender is the majority of the people going to an action thriller film. The class that is going to these films is mostly working class meaning that it is mostly young people meaning that the 15 certificate is ideal and more people will be interested to watch our film.

Initial Ideas

Initial Ideas

Positives and Negatives
For our initial ideas I think our group did well on planning out what our trailer was going to be like. We knew a clear plan of what we wanted our trailer to be like. The local area is also suitable for the theme of our film. Representation of certain genres and people have also been met and I think this will help our trailer be successful because people will want cliché moments in an action thriller film.


One thing that we haven't planned very well is the actors because we didn't have an idea of who our characters were going to be in our trailer. We have also mainly aimed our film trailer at the male audience which could be bad as we could have made our audience a lot broader by aiming it at women as well as men.

Actors and Props

Actors
The actors we are using for our trailer are the people in our group.
Callum                                     Kevin                                          Ruslan
 

Props
We are filming a chase scene for our opening scene so not many props are needed but we may need to borrow some costumes to suit the characters we want to portray in our trailer.

A prop that we are using is Ruslan's coat:
Callum will borrow his coat for his role in our opening scene.

Media Project Preliminary Task

Media Studies Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task we were asked to film a short clip of someone walking into a room and crossing a room to sit down a exchange a few lines of dialogue with somebody sitting opposite them. For this task we were given a tripod and camera to film our Preliminary task. We filmed our shots by mounting the camera on the tripod and adjusting it to clearing show the people in the scene. One of the things we did well was the conversation between the two characters. We had obeyed the 180 degree rule and we cross cut between the two characters to show the conversation. However, we didn't consider the rule of thirds meaning that the characters were always in the centre of the shot. Another thing that we didn't do to well was the scene when I opened the door. When we were recording that scene we only recorded me opening the door half way. If we would have recorded me opening the door and walking through, then the scene would seem more natural after we edited it all together.

To edit the shots we just cut the parts of the clips with no movement. This helped the scenes look more natural and made it look like each scene wasn't suddenly jumping to the next. Our filming limited what we could do in our editing slightly. For example when I opened the door, we couldn't make it as natural as we could because I only opened the door half way.

Software used to create our first Media Project

Software used to edit our short film

The program we used to edit our short film was adobe premiere elements 10. We used the cutting tool to edit out the silent parts at the start and end of each clip. For one of our scenes we used a black and white effect on the video to make the scene more dramatic. In the same scene we used a tool to speed up the people turning around to make the characters seem more threatening. 

Feedback from other groups on first Media Project

Feedback from other groups

One group said that we could of used cross cutting in our first scene to show the conversation between Shaun and Ryan. They also said that we could have used the fade to black effect to transition into the next scene instead of just suddenly jumping to the next part. Another group said that we could have made the sound louder in some parts of our preliminary task because you couldn't hear what the characters were saying. 

Strengths and Weaknesses of first Media Project

Strengths and Weaknesses
Some thing we did well in our first media project is the editing. This was the first time we had used the programme Adobe premiere elements 10. It was quite easy to cut out the parts of the clip which we didn't want and we could therefore making our media project look a lot more professional. We also used adobe premiere elements 10 to speed up a scene to make the scene more dramatic. Another thing that we did well was the different camera angles used to make our actors look more or less superior to someone else. We were also able to use lots of different establishing shots to tell our audience where the scene was set.


Some thing we didn't do too well was the acting. This was the first time we were acting on camera and we were also limited on time. To improve on this we could retake multiple scenes so that our media project would look more professional. Something we could have done is practise panning the camera across a scene to make our project more advanced.

Continuity Editing

Continuity Editing

What is Continuity?

Continuity is when the audience is immersed in the film and they aren't disrupted by things being out of place or the fact that the something has changed since the last scene.

180 degree rule

In the 180 degree rule you must not move the camera 180 degrees from one side to the other. If the 180 rule is broken when the camera changes position in a cut, continuity is broken meaning the audience will no longer be immersed in the film. The 180 degree rule can be broken if the audience is guided across the 180 degree barrier.

30 degree rule

In the 30 degree rule the camera must not move more than 30 degrees during a scene. If the camera moves more than 30 degrees continuity will be broken. This rule may be ignored if the audience is guided by the camera around the scene.

Crosscutting

Cross cutting is when the camera cuts from one scene to another scene and back to the first scene. This is used to show two different sequences in different places at the same time.

Match Cutting

Shot Reverse Shot

Rule of Thirds
In the rule of thirds the screen is split into three equal sections vertically, the main focus of the scene must be in one of the thirds and not in the middle.

Media Project Why are you here?

Short Film

This is our first media project that we have filmed and edited ourselves.

Rush Opening Scene Analysis

Rush Opening Scene

At the beginning of the opening scene there are lots of close ups of a F1 race car. This instantly tells us that this film is going to involve racing. It then slowly moves up to show the driver's face which is looking up at the sky with a serious face. This gives us the impression that he is thinking deeply about something. In the next scene there is a two shot of two drivers side by side with their cars. The driver on the left is having lots of pictures taken standing next to women and he is smiling. This tells us that that driver is quite relaxed, confident and possibly reckless because he is so relaxed. The driver on the right is sitting in his car looking up at the sky. This tells us that this driver is more serious about the race.

50 First Dates Trailer Analysis

50 First Dates Trailer

In this trailer you can tell its a romantic comedy because many of the different romantic comedy conventions are included in the trailer. In this trailer the main character falls in love with a girl who keeps forgetting what happens the day before. This means the main character has to keep asking the girl to go out on a date. In the trailer there are loads of scenes where the main character is hurt or things don't go his way and there are funny consequences. This tells us that this is a romantic comedy film.

Bridget Jones's Diary Trailer Analysis

Bridget Jones's Diary Trailer

You can tell from the trailer that Bridget Jones's Diary is going to be a romantic comedy film because the trailer shows scenes where the main character is doing ridiculous things like standing on a table while smoking and singing. There is also a love triangle in the film, this leads to the main character having to decide between two men. Movies involving a triangle usually contain a punch up between the two male lovers which is shown in the trailer.

Romantic Comedy Genre Analysis

Romantic Comedy Conventions Mind Map

These are some of the main conventions for a Romantic Comedy Film.

Animation Genre Analysis

Spirited Away Trailer

In this trailer for Spirited Away you can instantly tell its animated. Further into the trailer the main character encounters a character, Haku, who tells her to leave immediately. This builds tension in the audience. In the scene afterwards the atmosphere completely changes because everything is suddenly very dark and there are ghosts floating around the town. This continues to build tension in the audience and makes the audience ask "What is going on?" The music played at the beginning of the trailer is mysterious and perfectly matches what is actually happening in the trailer because a family has entered an unfamiliar place and are curious. Towards the middle of the trailer the music changes to drums. The drums vary in loudness throughout the rest of the trailer and adds to the tension in the audience. The trailer finishes off with the music changing to a more uplifting tune. The movie title is then revealed with sparks and flashes which attracts the audience to watch it because the sparks and uplifting music connote fantasy and happiness.

Sci-Fi Genre Analysis

Avatar Trailer

In this trailer you can clearly see that Avatar is a Sci-Fi movie because it contains aliens and lots of futuristic military equipment. The trailer also shows scenes containing aliens which is also a common thing found in Sci-Fi movies. There are also lots of scenes showing the home of the aliens which is lit up with bright neon lights. This tells us that it is set on a different planet. The sound used in the trailer is also very dramatic. This makes the trailer build tension in the audience a lot better because the audience will feel more immersed in the trailer. The editing in the action scenes are also fast paced making it more exciting for the audience to watch.

Scream Opening Scene Analysis

Scream Opening Scene

In the opening scene of scream there is a girl in her house alone. The phone rings and she picks up the phone to a mysterious person who says he has dialled the wrong number. After the girl hangs up on the phone the mysterious person continues to phone the same number saying he just wants to talk. We can tell this is a horror film because the character on the other end of the phone says he will kill her. There are scenes showing the outside of the housing making us think that someone might be outside the house. There is no sound at the beginning of the opening scene until the mysterious person starts to threaten the girl, then there is tension building music.

In this scene the girl is talking on the phone with the mysterious person. This is shown using a close up shot. Close up shots are used to show a person's facial expression in detail. In this scene it is used to show the girl talking on the phone as well as the glass door behind her. This creates tension in the audience because its dark outside and it makes the audience think that something will appear or jump out at them.

In this scene the camera has changed to view the outside of the house. This is shown using a long shot. A long shot is used as an establishing shot so the audience knows where the scene is set. In this scene the long shot of the house creates tension because there are lots of dark shadows making the girl inside the house seem vulnerable.

In this scene the girl is looking through the window in her front door. This is shown in a first person perspective. This makes the audience feel like they are in the character's shoes. In this scene it also creates tension because the mysterious man on the phone could jump out from anywhere and scare the audience.

Jeepers Creepers Opening Scene Analysis

Jeepers Creepers Opening Scene

In the opening scene to Jeepers Creepers there is a couple in a car and they are driving down a road. When they pass a creepy house and mysterious man they are chased by a rusty truck who tries to run them off the road. From this opening scene we can immediately tell that the film will be a horror film because it contains a mysterious character dumping a body into a hole.

In this scene one of the main characters is shown looking nervously at his rear view mirror. This is shown using a close-up shot. Close-up shots are used to show a characters emotions in detail. In this scene the close up shot is used to show how nervous the main protagonist is. This close up also shows the car that is following them but it is distant and blurred making the antagonist mysterious.

In this scene the main protagonists drive past an old house and see a mysterious man dumping what seems to be a dead body into a hole. This is shown using a long shot. Long shots are normally used to establish where the scene is set but in this scene it is used to show the mysterious man from a distance. This makes it seem like you are in the main character's position looking at the mysterious man from afar.

In this scene you see one of the main protagonists looking nervously through the back window of their car. This is shown using a low angle close up shot. Long angle shots are usually used to make a character look important but in this scene it is used to make the main protagonist look scared. This is also a close up shot which is used to show a character's facial expressions in detail.

The Expendables 2 Opening Scene Analysis

The Expendables 2 Opening Scene

In the opening scene to the Expendables 2 three armored trucks go into an enemy base to rescue someone. During this there is lots of guns, explosions and blood which instantly tells us that this film is going to be an action film. The editing in these action scenes are also fast paced making the scene more dramatic. The music used in the opening scene is non-diegetic and is fast paced to build tension in the audience.

In this scene the driver pushes an iron beam on the front of the bumper revealing the words "Knock Knock". This is shown using a close up. Close ups are usually used to show a character's emotion in detail. In this scene it is used to show the words clearly on the iron beam. This is an example of a cliche because after he pushes the iron beam forward they smash through stone walls into the enemy base.

In this scene the audience can see the three armored trucks driving towards the enemy base. This is shown using a long shot. Long shots are normally used to show the audience where the scene is being set. In this scene the long shot camera shot is used as an establishing shot. This shot can also be used to make the characters look small against the massive enemy base which can make the opening scene more dramatic as it is a couple of men against a large group of enemies.

This scene is after the main characters drove a motorbike into the windscreen of the helicopter. The picture above is when the helicopter comes crashing down into a building. This is shown using a long angle shot. Low angle shots are usually used make a character more superior to the audience because the character is viewed from below. This scene uses a low angle to make the helicopter look bigger when it comes crashing down so the scene will be more dramatic as the characters have brought down something enormous.

The Mechanic Opening Scene Analysis

The Mechanic Opening Scene

In the opening scene to The Mechanic there is an assassination. This instantly tells the audience that this film will contain other violent scenes. It also tells the audience that this film is an action film. At the beginning of the opening scene there is no music. This builds tension because the audience is waiting for something to happen. When the person is grabbed under water dramatic music suddenly starts to play making the scene more intense. The music is non-diegetic because the characters can't hear the dramatic music.

In this scene the person who is about to be killed is swimming in his indoor pool. This is shown with a high angle shot. High angle shots are usually used to make a character look vulnerable because the audience will be looking down on them. In this scene the high angle shot is used to make the character look vulnerable and small in a large open area.

In this scene it shows expensive looking watches in box on a table. This is shown using a close up. Close ups are normally used to show a character's facial expression in detail. In this scene the close up is used to make the audience focus on the expensive watches. This tells the audience that the place they are in is wealthy and the person living here is rich and might be of high importance.

In this scene the main protagonist is shown getting away with the crime he just committed. This scene is shown using a long shot. A long shot is usually used to establish where the scene is set. In this scene the long shot is used to show the main protagonist successfully escaping down the river holding onto a boat.

Action Film Genre Analysis

Action Film Conventions Mindmap

In this mind map it shows some of the main conventions of an action film.

Horror Film Genre Analysis

Horror Film Conventions Mindmap

This is a mindmap of some of the things that you would generally see in a horror film.

Dark Knight Opening Scene Analysis

Dark Knight Opening Scene

In the opening scene of the Dark Knight there is a bank robbery involving people with clown masks. In the first scene the robbers in masks zip line across two tall buildings carrying guns. This tells us that this film is going to be an action film. Further into the opening scene there are more gun fights which also tells us that this film is an action film. The music in the opening scene is dramatic and instantly makes I think that something bad is going to happen. This music is non-diegetic as the characters aren't able to hear it.

In this scene of the Dark Knight there are robbers zip lining across two buildings. The camera angle used in this scene is High angle long shot. High angle shots are used to make a character look more vulnerable and weak. A long shot is usually used to show where the scene will be set. In this scene the high angle shot is used to make the robbers look small and vulnerable, it also emphasises the height of the building and makes the robbers even more vulnerable because of how high up they are.

In this scene there are three robbers in a car driving to the bank they are going to rob. The camera angle used is an over the shoulder shot. An over the shoulder shot is normally used to show a conversation between two characters. In this scene the camera shot is used to show a conversation but the conversation is not with the character that the camera shot is taken over. This makes the character that isn't in the conversation more mysterious.

In this scene two robbers are having a conversation hidden behind a desk in the bank. The camera shot used in this shot is a close up two shot. Close ups are normally used to show a character's emotion in detail and a two shot is normally used to show a conversation between two people. The character's in this scene are wearing masks so you can't see their facial expressions so this scene relies on dialogue in the film to show their emotion.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Open Scene Analysis

Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone Opening Scene

In the opening scene to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone we can tell that it is a fantasy film because there is a moment where a cat transforms into an old lady. There is also a man on a flying bike which also suggests to us that this is a fantasy film. There is a lot of things we don't know about the characters in the opening scene which might bring the audience to ask; are these people good or bad? Why did they leave the baby on the doorstep of a house? In the opening scene the music is quite mysterious and non-diegetic.

In this scene we can see the character Hagrid flying down on a flying bike. The camera angle used to show this is Low angle shot. A low angle shot is normally used to make a character look large, therefore making the character seem more powerful everyone else. In this scene it is used to make Hagrid look magical and mysterious because he is on a flying bike.



In this scene you can see Dumbledore standing at the end of a road late at night. The camera shot used to show this is a Long shot. Long shots are normally used to show the audience where the scene is being set or it could be used to view a character from far away and make them seem vulnerable. In this scene it tells the audience immediately that the scene is set late at night and something mysterious is happening.

In this scene you can see a close up shot of harry potter when he was a baby. A close up shot is normally used to show a character's facial expressions in detail. Close up shots may also be used on objects to make the audience ask "what is that?" The close up shot used in this scene makes Harry look innocent but the camera shot also wants the audience to focus on the scar on Harry's head. This might make the audience ask "Where did he get that scar?"