Questionnaire - primary research

we decided to carry out a questionnaire using specific questions to find out about what the audience expect, what they enjoy and what we should focus on. this will help shape our final piece using the audience's views, as viewers opinions are the most important thing. we decided it was important to ask whether they were male or female, so we can see if there are any differences or patterns in what either gender prefer. The age categories were split so that we have the opinions of those unable to watch an 18+ film in a cinema seperate from those who can, so we can easily seperate the questionnaires when they come back. we also asked if the audience preferred 15+ or 18+ films, including those who are under 18, as often they can watch them when they come out on dvd, so may still prefer them. we wanted to know what sub genres are most enjoyed, as we will have to base our opening on a sub genre and this will influence our decision. it is also important to know what thriller films they have previously enjoyed, i will then analyse the openings of the top films so i can see for myself what they have enjoyed, and what is succesful about them. we then asked a question on what viewers find most important in thrillers, so we can see what we need to think about including. lastly, we asked whether they like credits in the opening, as some opening just start the film, and some build up into the beginning with an intro, this includes credits and some information about the film. personally, i prefer openings without credits, but the audiences views are most important.

Are you male or female?

Tick the age category that you fit in to –

15 – 17 □     18 – 25   □   26 – 35 □     36 - 45 □     46 – 55  □   55+ □

do you prefer 15+ or 18+ thriller films usually, if you are under 18 you may still vote for 18+

15+  □

18+  □

What type of sub genre within thrillers do you enjoy? Tick as many as apply

Action- thriller □

Western-thriller □

Crime-thriller □

Film noir – thriller □

Religious thriller – such as Da Vinci code □

Gangster thriller □

Psychological thriller   □

Please tick the thriller films that you have really enjoyed from the list below – as many as apply

Jaws □

Paranormal activity □

The godfather □

Inception □

Pulp fiction □

The Dark Knight □

Psycho □

Se7en □

Die hard □

Memento □

Silence of the lambs □

What do you feel is very important in a thriller film? Rank from one to eight with one being least important and eight being most

A feeling of suspense □

Fast paced music □

A plot twist □

Action □

Gore □

Science  □

A sense of reality – not too farfetched □

A clever storyline  □

Do you like to see credits in the opening of the film?

Yes □

No □

Don’t mind □



we will give these questionnaires to people that fit our target audience and gain some feedback to shape our thoughts on our opening.

Analysing previous Media openings

we watched some openings from previous years at different levels to give us an idea of what we're working towards and also what not to do, such as bad editing or cliched storylines. we also looked at the mark scheme and what sort of grades we thought the opening would have got. this will help us know what is expected of us, and the mistakes that previous students have made that we shouldn't repeat.

opening one - room to breathe
this was a psychological thriller and i thought it derved a medium level 3 because:

• the opening felt like more of a trailer, as it had an ending and the title at the end
• it had good use of camera angles, from below, above, over the shoulder, eye level.
• it had music that fit the mood and helped set the scene, however it was quite badly edited
• the editing was a bit jumpy, such as the sound not fitting the scene exactly, when the girl screamed, the sound of her scream came after the visual of it, this is simply poor editing and could easily be fixed.
•  the end title was misspelt which showed poor editing and attention to detail

overall it was fairly good, the idea was interesting and captivating and not too conventional which is difficult when most ideas ahve already been explored. some of the editing was not so great however, so the pre production and production have been much more successful than the most production.

opening two - unrequited love
level 2/3

• wasnt an obvious thriller - not much of a genre within the opening
• camera shots were fairly repititve - no variation or exciting shots. mostly cu's and high angles
• typography - credits- was too quick, so not very easy to read
• editing wasnt great - shots were badly put together
• the colour red was used a lot - connotes danger
• very cliche stroyline - paper cutting - like in se7en
• good font - interesting and fitting

this opening was successful at it was loosely copied from the opening of the film "se7en" which is a very successful film with a well known opening, as it so good. however, the idea had already been done, and is now conventional for a psychological thriller. A succesful opening cannot simply mirror another one, as originality is something audiences expect.

opening three- root cause
i gave this a high level 3 or low 4

• film noir - clear genre
• good use of camera to establish setting as well as a variety of shots, making it interesting
• good music - fitting.
• black and white - fitted film noir genre
• attention to detail - props, costumes, to make the genre work
• a little cliche on the storyline

I really liked the clear film noir genre in this opening, and the attention to detial when setting the genre. they made good use of the semantic conventions of the genre within the mis en scene, by using props and costumes to familiarise the audience with the genre. However the plot line was not so succesful
from analysing these opening the thing i found out over anytthing else was to make an opening that whilst fit the codes and conventions of a thriller, was not cliche at all, and not been done many times before, as this makes the opening very similar and boring. i also learnt that attention to detail is important, especially within the mis en scene and props, as this is what makes the openings proffesional looking and believable, and sets the scene better. the opening that scored best all had smooth camera panning and tracking, a variety of shots, a variety of angles, were smoothly edited and had music that fit the mood.

Camera , Sound and Editing

i feel i need a better understanding of some of the elements of film before i can analyse their use in openings, and use them myself in our opening. i am going to look at a few different camera, editing and sound effects and what meaning they give.

the camera

in films and TV there are different things the camera can do that gives us different effects. as well as different shots there are different ways of moving and turning the camera.

• Zoom: The subject is magnified, and attention is concentrated on details. they are not common, but can be very dramatic.
• Following pan: The camera swivels to follow a moving subject.. A pan usually begins and ends with a few seconds of still picture to give greater impact. The speed of a pan across a subject creates a particular mood as well as establishing the viewer's relationship with the subject.
• Surveying pan: The camera slowly searches the scene: may build to a climax or anticlimax.
• Tilt: A vertical movement of the camera - up or down- while the camera mounting stays fixed.
• Crab: The camera moves (crabs) right or left.
• Tracking (dollying): Tracking involves the camera itself being moved smoothly towards or away from the subject. Tracking in draws the viewer into a closer, more intense relationship with the subject; moving away tends to create emotional distance.
• Hand-held camera: A hand-held camera can produce a jerky, bouncy, unsteady image which may create a sense of immediacy or chaos. Its use is a form of subjective treatment.
• Process shot: A shot made of action in front of a rear projection screen having on it still or moving images as a background.

Editing

• Cut: Sudden change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another. On television cuts occur on average about every 7 or 8 seconds.
• Matched cut: In a 'matched cut' a familiar relationship between the shots may make the change seem smooth:
• Jump cut: Switch from one scene to another which may be used deliberately to make a dramatic point. Sometimes boldly used to begin or end action. Alternatively, it may be result of poor pictorial continuity, perhaps from deleting a section.
• Motivated cut: Cut made just at the point where what has occurred makes the viewer immediately want to see something which is not currently visible.
• Cutting rate: Frequent cuts may be used as deliberate interruptions to shock, surprise or emphasize.
• Cutting rhythm: A cutting rhythm may be progressively shortened to increase tension. Cutting rhythm may create an exciting, lyrical or staccato effect in the viewer.
• Cross-cut: A cut from one line of action to another.
• Cutaway/cutaway shot (CA): A bridging intercut shot between two shots of the same subject. It is often used to shortcut the passing of time.
• Reaction shot: Any shot, usually a cutaway, in which a participant reacts to action which has just occurred.
• Insert/insert shot: A bridging close-up shot inserted into the larger context, offering an essential detail of the scene.
• Buffer shot (neutral shot): A bridging shot (normally taken with a separate camera) to separate two shots which would have reversed the continuity of direction.
• Fade, dissolve (mix): Both fades and dissolves are gradual transitions between shots. In a fade the picture gradually appears from (fades in) or disappears to (fades out) a blank screen.
• Superimpositions: Two of more images placed directly over each other (e.g. and eye and a camera lens to create a visual metaphor).
• Wipe: An optical effect marking a transition between two shots.
• Inset: An inset is a special visual effect whereby a reduced shot is superimposed on the main shot. Often used to reveal a close-up detail of the main shot.
• Split screen: The division of the screen into parts which can show the viewer several images at the same time. This can convey the excitement and frenzy of certain activities, but it can also overload the viewer.
• Stock shot: Footage already available and used for another purpose than the one for which it was originally filmed.

Use of Sound

• Direct sound. Live sound. This may have a sense of freshness, spontaneity and 'authentic' atmosphere, but it may not be acoustically ideal.
• Studio sound. Sound recorded in the studio to improve the sound quality, eliminating unwanted background noise ('ambient sound'), e.g. dubbed dialogue. This may be then mixed with live environmental sound.
• Selective sound. The removal of some sounds and the retention of others to make significant sounds more recognizable, or for dramatic effect - to create atmosphere, meaning and emotional nuance. Selective sound (and amplification) may make us aware of a watch or a bomb ticking. This can sometimes be a subjective device, leading us to identify with a character: to hear what he or she hears. Sound may be so selective that the lack of ambient sound can make it seem artificial or expressionistic.
• Sound perspective/aural perspective. The impression of distance in sound, usually created through the use of selective sound. Note that even in live television a microphone is deliberately positioned, just as the camera is, and therefore may privilege certain participants.
• Sound bridge. Adding to continuity through sound, by running sound (narration, dialogue or music) from one shot across a cut to another shot to make the action seem uninterrupted.
• Dubbed dialogue. Post-recording the voice-track in the studio, the actors matching their words to the on-screen lip movements. Not confined to foreign-language dubbing.
• Wildtrack Sound which was self-evidently recorded separately from the visuals with which it is shown. For example, a studio voice-over added to a visual sequence later.
• Parallel sound. Sound 'caused' by some event on screen, and which matches the action.
• Commentary/voice-over narration. Commentary spoken off-screen over the shots shown

mis en scene

mis en scene is everything that is happening inside of the screen, and it used a lot to convey meaning to a scene. it is the most obvious for the audience too. i am going to look at a few, as there are too many to fully explore.

1. the dominant - this is where our eye is attracted to first and can connot alot. the dominant contrast can be shown by lighting, colour, focus etc. something that is dominant in the shot is given high importance and status, if it were a two shot of a male and female, and the male was the dominant, through the use of light and focus, this could connote that males were more important in that context.

2. colour - the use of different colours can apply a mood or tone to a scene, such as dull grey tones giving it a serious, sombre mood. colour can also be used as symbolise, such as excessive used of red connoting agression or violence.

3. position - the position of subjects can give a shot meaning, a circular compositiong suggests security, a vertical one might suggest strength, and a horizontal one might suggest anxiety.

4. framing - a tight framing where the characters fill the frame and there is little room to breathe might suggest confinement, whereas a looser framing, with empty space gives the shot a sense of freedom.

5. depth of field - a single plane in focus, such as the foreground, will isolate objects in the foreground from the rest, whereas a depth of field where all planes are in focus will unite the shot.

6.  character placement - placement in the top third of the shot connotes importance and authority. contrastingly, placement in the bottom third connotes subservience. the middle of the frame will show the character to be the focus of the shot, so connots importance too.


this information has given me a better understanding of the different things i need to consider when making my opening, and will therefore help me to plan, make and direct the opening as i have a better understanding of the different things i can do and the correct terms for it. I am now more aware of the connotations associated with different uses of camera, sound and editing and can therefore apply more meaning to my opening.

Camera Shots + angles

I am going to look at some of the camera shots and angles that are commonly used in film, and what they are used for. I will also look at what they might connote, so i can use this research when I'm analysing previous openings, and also when i want to add connotations to my piece.

ELS - extreme long shot - like a shot of a city or countryside, people and detail rarely visible. These are used to establish the setting, they also might set the mood and tone of the scene, such as a woods setting would me quite mysterious, a city setting would be busy and exciting. An extreme long shot of these settings would show the audience what to expect from the scene. They are usually used at the start or end of scenes.

LS - long shot -subject fits the whole frame, but none of them is cut off, so a whole figure will be in the shot. These show the audiences things about the character such as height, stature. often used with groups of people, and when there is large scale action.

MS - mid shot - most of the subject is in the frame, such as his head down to his middle, often used for small groups. The medium shot can be used to focus attention on an interaction between two actors, such as a struggle, debate, or embrace.

CU - close up - focuses on a certain feature , such as a face. good for focusing on facial expressions, so often used for reactions and important facial gestures that need to be seen. can also be used to give significance to a certain object, or to direct the audience to some other important element of the film.

ECU - extreme close up - much closer such as eyes or mouth. these are less common but can be used for minute details that are important to the plot. They are often quite mysterious and surreal.




Angles


eye-level - day to day angle, this is how we see in real - life, so it sets a laid back realistic angle to the shot, it is best used for point of view, as it really establishes the audience as part of the scene. This is often filmed just below eye level for males and just above for females, as it looks unnatural otherwise.

high angle - camera is positioned above the subject looking down on it, can connote insignificance as the subject looks belittled.

low angle - this is filmed from below, looking up at the subject, can connote importance as they look empowered.

birds eye - shot from on top, looking down. it is a very unnatural view of the world, and is quite a dramatic way of filming, often used in action thrillers.

I found out the most common angles, and which were most natural, so this will help our opening flow as best as possible. I also found out that high and low angle shots can connote certain things to a shot, so i could use these if i wanted to give meaning to a scene. I will use my understanding of shots and angles when i look at analysing the camera in previous openings.

Genre and the Thriller genre - Research

I am doing some more background research on genre and how it has changed in recent years, as i am looking to make an opening of the "thriller" genre, however more recently it could be said that genre's boundaries are breaking down. I am also going some research on the thriller genre so i have a better understanding of that, including hybrids and subgenre's, which will help me think about what our opening might be, it could be a mix of a few, this is called a hybrid. the type of genre will also affect the conventions seen within it, so this will help me know which conventions apply to my chosen genre.


Genre
A genre is a set of codes and conventions that make it fit a certain label - this is then labelled as a certain genre. an example of this is if a film has a boy meets girl situation, a plot involving love, complications of love and romantic situations it will be labelled a romance. Other things can be part of these conventions such as sound, editing, mis-en-scene, that make a film fit a particular genre. in recent years, regenrification has happened, and films tend be a mix of more than one genre ( this is called hybridisation), such as a romantic comedy or a sci fi horror. this often appeals to a wider range of people and means that films can still be new and interesting rather than sticking to a simple genre convention.
Genre theorists originally places genre's in strict boundaries, and didn't consider that they may overlap and cross over into each other, and be influenced by each other. Rick Altman was the first theorist to put forward the idea of hybrid genre's and that there is "cross pollination" between each genre. he says that genre's can not evolve without being significantly affected by other genre's. Altman also argued that genre's start off simply semantic elements, and evolve and change to be classed as a genre, they then expand and evolve further through many sub genre's and then mix to become hybrids. semantic elements of a genre are what people often use to place them into that genre, without looking deeper, these are things such as aesthetics and plot lines. Altman suggested looking at genre in a different way, by looking at the semantic elements and making a relationship between them and society, this is called syntactics. this is a much more in depth way of analysing genre, suggesting that whilst looking at the essential principles, we should also look at the presentation of society. this had an effect on the way people looked at genre, and bent the strict confinements.



Thriller Genre



Thriller is a certain type of genre that is known for suspense, tension and excitement. the main sub genre's are mystery, crime and psychological. thriller mostly contain violence, crime, murder, danger but also action and often a happy ending. they also rely on plot twists, cliffhangers and breaking the rules of the genre to keep each thriller different and new



Crime thriller:
This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes, such as Sin City (2005)

Common themes include robberies, murders, and double crosses.

Psychological thriller:
In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical



Mystery thriller:
 Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or are involved in, a mystery.

Action Thriller

These films are characterized by fast-paced, hero-centered narratives full of action and excitement.

such as Die Hard (1988).

Religious Thriller

Thrillers based on religious teachings, events, and customs. . sometimes they can be quite controversial as they examine people's beliefs, so they usually get a lot of mixed press. such as The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Spy Thriller

The hero is usually a government agent who must take violent action against agents from a rival government or terrorists, such as The Bourne Identity (2002)

Most thrillers are formed in some combination of the above, with horror, conspiracy, and psychological tricks used most commonly to heighten tension. The sub-genres overlap and can be put into several different categories. All of them create tension, suspense, and excitement for the viewers.



 

I found this research useful when understanding how to look at and analyse genre, and how to place them. this will help when i am analysing successful thriller opening, so i can understand it semantically and syntactically, which will give me a deeper understanding of the intentions of the piece. i also think it is important that i have a basic knowledge of genre before i can really talk about it in existing works. it was also useful to look at the breakdown of the thriller genre and some of the subgenre's that exist, what conventions they have, and some examples of these, i will go and analyse some of these examples, so i can look at openings from many different sub genres before i think any further about confining my opening to one sub genre. it has also showed me that i need to consider the need for a specific genre at all, and i can look at mixing them into a hybrid, which might make something new and never been seen, and that it is acceptable to do this, as genre's are constantly evolving.

Target audience research

I looked into the target audience for a thriller film and found out they tend to be aimed at a 15+ or 18+ age group, and rarely any lower, so i am going to look into the requirements to meet these age groups . we are then going to decide as a group whether to pitch our thriller opening at a 15+ or 18+ age group.

Info from the BBFC – British Board of Film Classifaction

Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely  to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

Suitable only for adults ( 18+)

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema.

No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.

In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC’s public consultations and The Human Rights Act 1998, at ‘18’ the BBFC’s guideline concerns will not normally override the principle that  adults should be free to choose their own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:

• where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault
• where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context. Such images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in ‘sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined to that category.

we decided to look at the 15+ age range, as although it has many restrictions, it doesn’t limit the people who can watch and buy the film and so opens up the target audience. We talked about if we pitched it as an 18+ we would be cutting out some of the audience who enjoy thrillers like people who are our own age. Other thrillers aimed at this age group include some very successful ones such as se7en, final destination and the butterfly effect. We are not ruling out either gender, and want to aim at both genders, which means including different parts in the thriller which would appeal to each.