I have gone for a hybrid genre. My main genre is Thriller, however; I have decided to incorperate an aspect of Horror into my film to make it that little bit more exciting. I think that the Horror aspect will excite my audience, while the Thriller aspect will encourage my audience to think. I have chosen these genres because I think that Thriller films are exciting and I have a lot of ideas of what a good Thriller film should look like. Also, I lot of my initial ideas were a combination of Horror and Thriler, which is why I have chosen this genre. I have also chosen Horror as I think that the Horror aspect can be used to add to the development of the characters and could be used to strengthen and stress the psychotic themes in the film.
I see Thriller films as a cross between Action and Horror, however Thriller films allow the audience to engage in the film and forces your audience to think. I like this characteristic in Thriller films as, like action films, it can engage your audience while at the same time, the horror aspect can be used to scare your audience.
I see Horror films as a lot of blood and gore that terrifies the audience. I think that this is effective as it makes your audience feel highly self conscious and uncomfortable. I plan to use this not as the main genre in the film, but as a method of scaring my audience and make them feel as uncomfortable as possible.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Mood Board
Below is a link to my "Mood Board" page on Scribd.
Enjoy...
Mood Board
I have going for an overall dark feel which is why I chose these pictures. I thought that these pictures also helped me to get a rough idea of my desired setting, costumes, character appearances and themes raised in my film.
Enjoy...
Mood Board
I have going for an overall dark feel which is why I chose these pictures. I thought that these pictures also helped me to get a rough idea of my desired setting, costumes, character appearances and themes raised in my film.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Thinking about Certification
I have researched a variety of films from the same Genre as my own, and I have decided on the Genre I am going to use. I have decided that I am going to certify my film "15", as I think that my film has intense themes in it (for example: violence, drug use, mental problems) with may not be understood by people aged below 15. My film does not contain strong nudity, sexual references or gorey violence and therefore my film cannot be certified 18. I have decided against 12A because I believe that the films in my film are too intense for young teenagers.
Target Audience Profile
How are other films in your chosen genre certified?
The majority of the films in my genres (Thriller and Horror) are certified 15 or 18. The majority are certified in the Horror genre (e.g. Scream, The Exorcist, The Shining etc) 18 due to some of the language, themes and content that may be unsuitable for children. Many films in the Thriller genre (e.g. The Godfather, The Terminator films etc) are rated 15, due to the films containing some adult content however being aimed at young adults and teenagers. The majority of the existing Thriller films (e.g. Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, The Silence of the Lambs, Sin City etc) are certified 18 due to them containing themes which are too strong for young teenagers.
Who does your genre target?
My film is going to target teenagers aged between 13 - 19 and young adults aged between 20 - 25, as there will not be too much variation between the schooling experience of the main characters and the targetted audience and therefore the audience will be able to relate to the personal experiences the character has.
What demographic groups are you going to target?
I am going to aim to target demographic groups D and E, as they will be in able to relate to the character as their experiences will be similar to that of the character. Also, this in usually the type of fims that people in the specified dermographic groups and therefore, I will try to target this audience specifically as this will be the type of films they are used.
What audience theories may you apply to your film and its genre?
I will try to use the Uses and Gratifications Theory for my film. As audiences generally go to the cinema to be entertained, I will create my film so that is enteraining to watch. Also, even though some of the characters are quite extreme, I think that the audience’s sometimes watch films in order to find relateable characters and therefore, I plan to make my characters realistic and facing real issues that the audience can understand.
What hobbies might your audience members have?
I think that my audience will enjoy watching films in their free time and will enjoy socialising with a variety of people that they may find similar to characters in my film. Also, I think that some of the audience members may watch anime style cartoons, as some of the themes in anime cartoons are apprent in my film.
What rating would your film get in the UK?
I think that my film will be rated “18”, due to the fact that there will be will be occasional violence and language, and some of the violence in some of the scenes may be too graphic for the film to be classed as a “15”. Also, as some of the films in the film include death, drug use, child abuse, domestic violence, most peope under the age of 18 may not be able handle this.
What other media works does this audience consume regularly?
I think that my average consumer would watch a lot of Soap style programs in which they would try to relate their own lives to that of a characters. I think that most of my audience members would enjoy playing video games to relax or for excitement.
What comparable media works does your average audience member like/dislike?
As mentioned above, I think that some of my audience members will watch anime in their free time, as my film has similar issues raised in it as some anime film. My film also has similarities between otherthriller films, such as fight club, which also contains an alter ego to the main protagonist.
What comparable films has your average audience member seen?
Some well known film ideas are similar to my film. In terms of being a thriller film, my film is similar to films like fight club (as mentioned above). My film however shares more similarites with Novel’s from the Bildungsroman genre, as my film focuses on the mental and physical development of the protagonist.
Where would your average audience member shop for clothes?
I think that my average audience would shop for clothes in places such as River Island, H&M, and other such shop chains. I also think that a large amount of my audience will shop online on shos such as ebay or other online shops.
In what magazines and on what websites would you advertise your film?
I will advertise my film in magazines such as teen magazines and some of the celebrity magazines (e.g. Heat, Hello, OK, etc) I will use social network sites such as Facebook or Twitter to advertise my film, as these type of websites usually are the easiest and most effective way to distribute your film to the audiences (mass or niche)
At screenings for which films (in cinemas now) would you show yours film's trailer?
I would show my film trailer during Thriller and Horror films, as my film is a Thriller/Horror film and will therefore be relevant to my audience’s interests. I will not advertise my film during ay films certified PG or U, as the audience will not only not be old enough to view the film (generally), and the themes in my film will differ from the themes in a PG or U film and therefore the audience will not be interested in my film.
The majority of the films in my genres (Thriller and Horror) are certified 15 or 18. The majority are certified in the Horror genre (e.g. Scream, The Exorcist, The Shining etc) 18 due to some of the language, themes and content that may be unsuitable for children. Many films in the Thriller genre (e.g. The Godfather, The Terminator films etc) are rated 15, due to the films containing some adult content however being aimed at young adults and teenagers. The majority of the existing Thriller films (e.g. Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, The Silence of the Lambs, Sin City etc) are certified 18 due to them containing themes which are too strong for young teenagers.
Who does your genre target?
My film is going to target teenagers aged between 13 - 19 and young adults aged between 20 - 25, as there will not be too much variation between the schooling experience of the main characters and the targetted audience and therefore the audience will be able to relate to the personal experiences the character has.
What demographic groups are you going to target?
I am going to aim to target demographic groups D and E, as they will be in able to relate to the character as their experiences will be similar to that of the character. Also, this in usually the type of fims that people in the specified dermographic groups and therefore, I will try to target this audience specifically as this will be the type of films they are used.
What audience theories may you apply to your film and its genre?
I will try to use the Uses and Gratifications Theory for my film. As audiences generally go to the cinema to be entertained, I will create my film so that is enteraining to watch. Also, even though some of the characters are quite extreme, I think that the audience’s sometimes watch films in order to find relateable characters and therefore, I plan to make my characters realistic and facing real issues that the audience can understand.
What hobbies might your audience members have?
I think that my audience will enjoy watching films in their free time and will enjoy socialising with a variety of people that they may find similar to characters in my film. Also, I think that some of the audience members may watch anime style cartoons, as some of the themes in anime cartoons are apprent in my film.
What rating would your film get in the UK?
I think that my film will be rated “18”, due to the fact that there will be will be occasional violence and language, and some of the violence in some of the scenes may be too graphic for the film to be classed as a “15”. Also, as some of the films in the film include death, drug use, child abuse, domestic violence, most peope under the age of 18 may not be able handle this.
What other media works does this audience consume regularly?
I think that my average consumer would watch a lot of Soap style programs in which they would try to relate their own lives to that of a characters. I think that most of my audience members would enjoy playing video games to relax or for excitement.
What comparable media works does your average audience member like/dislike?
As mentioned above, I think that some of my audience members will watch anime in their free time, as my film has similar issues raised in it as some anime film. My film also has similarities between otherthriller films, such as fight club, which also contains an alter ego to the main protagonist.
What comparable films has your average audience member seen?
Some well known film ideas are similar to my film. In terms of being a thriller film, my film is similar to films like fight club (as mentioned above). My film however shares more similarites with Novel’s from the Bildungsroman genre, as my film focuses on the mental and physical development of the protagonist.
Where would your average audience member shop for clothes?
I think that my average audience would shop for clothes in places such as River Island, H&M, and other such shop chains. I also think that a large amount of my audience will shop online on shos such as ebay or other online shops.
In what magazines and on what websites would you advertise your film?
I will advertise my film in magazines such as teen magazines and some of the celebrity magazines (e.g. Heat, Hello, OK, etc) I will use social network sites such as Facebook or Twitter to advertise my film, as these type of websites usually are the easiest and most effective way to distribute your film to the audiences (mass or niche)
At screenings for which films (in cinemas now) would you show yours film's trailer?
I would show my film trailer during Thriller and Horror films, as my film is a Thriller/Horror film and will therefore be relevant to my audience’s interests. I will not advertise my film during ay films certified PG or U, as the audience will not only not be old enough to view the film (generally), and the themes in my film will differ from the themes in a PG or U film and therefore the audience will not be interested in my film.
Thinking about my Genre
In order to gain more insight in my chosen genre, I have analysed 3 film openings in my chosen genres (Thriller and Horror). As my film is more of a Thriller film than a Horror, I will study the Thriller genre to a greater extent than the Horror genre.
The opening credits of the film "Se7en"
This film opening is clearly a Thriller, as it is unclear and encourages the audience to think. Also, there are a lot of enigma codes in the opening credits which will be relevant to later events in the film. The soundtrack immediately creates an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience, and the low key lighting used in the scene reflects the rest of the film's narrative. The white writing used in the titles creates a ghostly eerie feel to the film which allows the audience to realise that there will be an aspect of Horror in the film. The appearance of blood and razor blades in the film's opening strengthens this, as blood and tools used for violence are usually seen in Horror films.
The opening credits of the film "Vertigo"
This film immediately makes the audience feel uncomfortable through the slow ominous music. The clip is unclear in meaning, as only the woman's face is shown in an upwards pan. When the scene adopts a red hue and the woman's eye widens, the audience are given an impression that the woman in frame will face violence and death during the film's narrative. The swirl that appears in the woman's eye makes her appear demonic, and it seems as though her purpose in the film may revolve around her having some kind of super power which she uses to do bad things.
The opening credits of the film "Scream"
This film is clearly set up in the beginning to be a Horror film. The innocent beginning with the light hearted acoustic background music allows the audience to settle in the film and relax, allowing the second half of the opening to shock the audience. Immediately, the white title turning red holds connotations of blood and violence. When the knife is shown in the hand of the girl, we as the audience are made aware that the girl will be killed throughout the film's narrative. The high key lighting makes the female appear ghostly and builds on the impression that she will be killed. The sudden change in the tempo and intensity of the music acts as an action note and indicates a murder will soon occur.
I plan to study these films and use techniques in these film openings in my own film's opening.
The opening credits of the film "Se7en"
This film opening is clearly a Thriller, as it is unclear and encourages the audience to think. Also, there are a lot of enigma codes in the opening credits which will be relevant to later events in the film. The soundtrack immediately creates an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience, and the low key lighting used in the scene reflects the rest of the film's narrative. The white writing used in the titles creates a ghostly eerie feel to the film which allows the audience to realise that there will be an aspect of Horror in the film. The appearance of blood and razor blades in the film's opening strengthens this, as blood and tools used for violence are usually seen in Horror films.
The opening credits of the film "Vertigo"
This film immediately makes the audience feel uncomfortable through the slow ominous music. The clip is unclear in meaning, as only the woman's face is shown in an upwards pan. When the scene adopts a red hue and the woman's eye widens, the audience are given an impression that the woman in frame will face violence and death during the film's narrative. The swirl that appears in the woman's eye makes her appear demonic, and it seems as though her purpose in the film may revolve around her having some kind of super power which she uses to do bad things.
The opening credits of the film "Scream"
This film is clearly set up in the beginning to be a Horror film. The innocent beginning with the light hearted acoustic background music allows the audience to settle in the film and relax, allowing the second half of the opening to shock the audience. Immediately, the white title turning red holds connotations of blood and violence. When the knife is shown in the hand of the girl, we as the audience are made aware that the girl will be killed throughout the film's narrative. The high key lighting makes the female appear ghostly and builds on the impression that she will be killed. The sudden change in the tempo and intensity of the music acts as an action note and indicates a murder will soon occur.
I plan to study these films and use techniques in these film openings in my own film's opening.
Looking At Mainstream and Inpendant Film Logos
Examples of mainstream film logos:
Mainstream film logos are created by large American institutions who have enough funding to create more expensive animated logos which can be used to "wow" a diverse audience. These insitution logos are very specific to each company and allows an audience to relate to that institution, as they will have seen the logo either in film trailers on TV or in the cinema. As my own film tagets a niche audience, I will not focus too much on these types of logo as I will not use a logo of this style in my own film.
Examples of independant film logos:
These logos are a lot more basic than that of the mainstream films, and usually these logo's do not contain much (or any) animation, due to the lack of funding to do so. The independant film logos aren't made for engaging the audience with their intricacy and uniqueness, but are merely there to allow the audience to recognise the institution behind the film, allowing the audience to make the decision to watch the film based on what other films the institution has been a part of. I plan to make my film independant and therefore I will create a basic logo which will merely give my institutional name to the audience and show a memorable logo to them which they can relate to other films. 
Mainstream film logos are created by large American institutions who have enough funding to create more expensive animated logos which can be used to "wow" a diverse audience. These insitution logos are very specific to each company and allows an audience to relate to that institution, as they will have seen the logo either in film trailers on TV or in the cinema. As my own film tagets a niche audience, I will not focus too much on these types of logo as I will not use a logo of this style in my own film.
Examples of independant film logos:
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