Costume analysis

We want our character to appear that they are in a very isolating and scary situation. The outfit we will chose for her could possibly  indicate what kind of personality our main character has (stereotypically) through her style choice.  We want our audience to know that the main character is only a teenager and is dressed very casually, the form of her outfit takes one of a typical teenage girl as we would like her to wear something like a black pair of jeans, a top and a pair of converse.
We'd like our main character to have very messy/ knotted hair as I think it could foreshadow the situation our main character has found herself in. Furthermore, I believe her make up should also be very minimal to show how she is worn out/ tired and that the last thing on her mind is what her appearance is like as she is scared and alone. There should also be a few smudges of dirt on her face which are there to remind the audience of her journey running through the woods.

We would similarly like the main character to wear a hoodie, possibly oversized. The hoodie should also be muddy to show that she has been through a lot and has possibly fallen over in the woods a couple of times maybe because the adrenaline has taken over her initial instincts or maybe even because her hair is in her face. I think the hoodie also links with the stereotypical view of teenagers as mentioned above.

To link with the idea we'd like the jeans she will be wearing to be also very muddy/ dirty. I think this will be very affective as when the audience will firstly spot the teenage girl running through the woods it will leave the audience wondering what the character is going through, why she is running and if she is safe. Or wanting to question whether she is safe yet.



Lastly, I think that shoes are a very important part of the costume/ outfit. They are important because for a lot of the time during the two minute opening the audience will only be able to see the girls shoes while she is running through the woods. I therefore think that it is important that the shoes the character wears should be muddy and worn out.  We would like the main character to wear a pair of Converse as we think they are a very suitable choice of shoes, this is because every teenager has a pair of Converse in their possession. It is also a good way to leave the audience wondering what the main character is like; whether they are male or female and what age group they are in until she is finally revealed to the audience in different shots of her running through the woods. (when the shot isn't of her feet while she is running) I think the audience will not be able to tell any of the things above as Converse are trainers which people from every single age group have as they as shoes which have been around for many years. To conclude, I think the fact that our main character is a teenager and is dressed very casually helps draw in the audience as it will allow them to identify with the main character because our target audience are people within the same age group as the teenage girl.

Institution Research

During the institution research, I looked at the films I have been using as guidelines and have been including in my other research such as certificate and target audience theory.

       Taken was distributed by 20th Century Fox. This is one of the many companies that we use for our film as it makes the specific sort of genre we want to make. 20th Century Fox have created many films within the action/drama genre so ours could fit. Taken was produced by:

·         M6 Film

·         Canal+

·         TPS Star

·         M6

We have a variety of production companies we can chose from, this is very beneficial as we can decide later on which one will look better when we start shooting and editing the opening two minutes of our film.

Ransom is another film similar to ours which I previously looked at. This film was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures. We can't use this company due to the fact it no longer exists and Walt Disney Pictures has taken its place and they usually make films targeted for children. This does not link to our genre so we won't be able to use it.  Ransom was produced by Imagine Entertainment, Touchstone Pictures and Icon Productions. Imagine usually makes more some children and more relatively upbeat films so this may not be the right company for us. The majority of Touchstone films that are produced are dramas and other darker themes. This could be another distribution possibility for our film too. Icon usually makes thrillers and dramas. This is partly similar to our film (genre: drama)

The Hunger Games was distributed by Lionsgate Films. Lionsgate is mostly known for action themes which could be a good possibility for our opening. The film was produced by Colour Force, which is an independent company that usually makes movies out of books, since our film isn't a book, we will not use this company.

       Other companies that we could use include, Universal Studios, New Line Cinema or Warner Brothers as they make a range of different films from different genres. Paramount pictures could also be good as they make a lot of dramas.  Furthermore, we could also use Millennium Films and/or TriStar because they have made films such as Faster and Stolen and Olympus has fallen which fit in successfully with the film we want to create. I think it would be very suitable if the production company we choose (or at least one of them) is Tri-Star because they were the production company of an action drama film named Colombiana which is along the lines of what we want to create. Colombiana was also created from the writers of Taken which is the film we are using as inspiration/ guide. 

Certificate research

U (Universal): films which are suitable for all viewers. Some examples include The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, and Shrek.

Parental Guidance (PG): films are allowable for any age. However, some scenes may be unsuitable for young children under the age of 8. Such scenes may contain mild language and sex/drug references. Some examples of PG rated films are A Cinderella Story, Home alone and Maleficent. 

12: films which are for people of the age 12 and above. 12A rated films are usually given a 12 certificate when released on DVD. An example of a 12 rated film is Perks of being a wallflower. 

12A:  films which are unsuitable for young children. Cinemas are only permitted to let in children under the age of 12 if they are accompanied by an adult aged 18 and over. These films may contain views of soft drugs, occasional strong language, discrimination, reasonable violence and or nudity. Some examples are of 12A rated films are:  The Fault In Our Stars, The Hunger Games and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. 

15:  films which are only suitable for those aged 15 and over. Films within this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, and consistent use of foul language. Some scenes can also include strong violence and strong sex references, nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed 
but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may also be shown if discreet and acceptable by context. Some examples are The Heat, Let’s be cops and 21 Jump Street 


18: Films which are only suitable for people aged 18 and over. Films within this category do not have limitation on foul language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed; explicit sex references along with detailed sexual activity are also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context. In addition some scenes in films within this category can also include very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is excessively graphic. Examples of films within category include: Taken, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Spring Breakers.



Through the target audience and certificate research I think our film will most likely fit under the 12/ 12 A category because this is where most action dramas are placed and our film will have moderate violence and certain mature themes. It will therefore, not be suitable for children under the age of 12. However, the certificate rating of 15 and 18 may be a little bit too high and will most likely lessen the variety of our audience members. Therefore, the certificate rating of 12 years and above will be most suitable as it is where most dramas/thrillers are placed. But if released at cinemas, it may be more reasonable if it is a 12 A due to the elements of violence and action as it is a psychological thriller.

Font research

I used the website Dafont to try out and research different types of fonts in order to see which one will be most suitable to use in our film. There were many fonts on that website but I managed to narrow it down to the ones above. I then looked over more films similar to the one we want to create and saw what type of fonts they use for their inter titles and credits and tried to see what each fonts connote and what affect they have and if they furthermore, link to the genre and the look we are going for.   I looked at films such as Taken, Faster and Stolen and saw that they use similar titles to the ones on the right. I think these fonts are suitable as they give it an edgy affect and  makes it stand out and gives more emphasis on what will be written/ displayed. I feel like it furthermore, goes with the flow of the film we are going to make ( I feel like the first one or other fonts similar are more appropriate than the second one). However, we need to try it out because some fonts look completely different when displayed at different sizes. Although many films may use traditional fonts, I think that they are not suitable in this case as we need the fonts to be gripping and bold. 

I additionally, researched on Dafont a couple of other fonts which brought certain hints of disorientation to them which I think links very nicely with the storyline of our film. The ones I like most are Nervous and Hacked as they look quite distorted and technical and other than this they also bring a more dramatic and intense sense to them. Similarly to the name of our film, these fonts link as there is a abnormal concept and makes it difficult for the audience to understand why the sufferer feels the way she does. To additionally enhance or foreshadow elements of what will happen in our film we would like to make one word in white and another in red to make it stand out more (possibly connote blood loss or distress and the white could connote an element of innocence of the protagonist). Furthermore, I think this will be best suited as white and red are popular in drama/ thrillers and usually appeal to the conventions of the genre.

Diary Post 4: 15th of October

In our lesson on the 15th of October, we looked at audience research and who the target audience for our film will be. I went on the Pearl & Dean website and looked for some films of a similar genre to the one we want to create. I looked at Taken, because we decided that we are using Taken as an outline and inspiration as we want to create a film of that sort of genre and we feel that Taken manages to accomplish that in a very affective way. I then looked at films similar to Taken and I found Ransom and Taken 2. I also used The Hunger Games even though it is a film with a different genre to ours. I used it because it has similar scenes that we'd like to include in our film. I learnt a lot through this lesson and came to the conclusion that the target audience of our film should be males between the ages of 15-24.

Music Research

 http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100778.

http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400041.

http://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty_free_music/songs/atonement-2

http://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty_free_music/songs/being-followed

http://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty_free_music/songs/running-fields

I like the first  piece of non copy right music because these are the sort of soundtracks I'd expect to be played in a scene where there is a race as the beat and pace of the music get faster and faster. In addition, I think the last 3 were a much better find for the music of the scenario we are looking for due to the reason it creates intensity and has an affect of making you feel like you are involved in a situation as the music draws you in. I believe this is very affective as we want our audience to feel empathetic and identify with the main character of our film as I think this way it will have a better outcome and will furthermore create the atmosphere we are looking for.

Audience Theory

Through this research we found out that the target audience for Taken, are males aged 15-24 and are mostly in the middle class. It is however also relatively popular with older demographics.  The gender which mostly saw this film were males, this is mainly because they generally like violent and dramatic films. On the contrary, a huge part of Taken’s audience are female viewers, this could have been a result of the stereotypical view that women get more emotionally involved with the film. However, just like the male gaze, I believe the reason that Liam Neeson is the lead character is due to the reason that the mainly older part of the audience of females think he is a very attractive man, especially through his character and personality appeal, which I think has helped massively with challenging the stereotypes that only men enjoy watching action packed films. Similarly to Taken, I also researched Taken 2 and looked at the results in their target audience. The results again showed that the bigger percentage of the audience were male viewers, although since Taken the percentage of female viewers increased which suggests that when Taken 3 is released an even bigger percentage of females will be a part of the films audience. For Taken 2 the age group included the ages 15-24 again which suggest that they kept the same level of violence and scenes which may be inappropriate due to violent content, for children under the age of 15.

The target audience for Ransom, are mostly males, the class is mostly aimed at middle class (c1.).Similarly to Taken, Ransom almost has the exact same target audience. This is because the genre is in fact very similar; Taken is a Action- Thriller film whereas, Ransom is a film which genre is Crime-Fiction & Action. Again, just like with Taken the range of male viewers is much bigger than the female viewers due to the reason that it appears boys/men enjoy more action packed films than women. Furthermore, the results of this research suggests that Ransom is a much more wider enjoyed film as the target audience ages range between 15-24 (38%) and 25-34 (37%). This could also be a factor of the different genre of the two films. 

 The Hunger Games is a film of a completely different genre to the film we want to create, however some of the setting we want to use for our film is included in The Hunger Games. The gender percentages are very similar but there are more males which could show that overall action is more popular with males. Like the other films I looked into, the audience for The Hunger Games has a high percentage as part of their audience of males of mostly 15-24 in the middle class. This connotes that this is mostly what film makers of the genre action/ thriller target their films to.

To conclude, this research helped me begin to see what our target audience will be. I believe that from these target audience research screen grabs we can see what we should include to entice this precise audience. Examples of how we could accomplish this could be by using mysterious music and intense quick shots and a pretty female as the main character to attract the audience through the male gaze theory.  

Exemplar blog: 18/20 marks for research and planning

 http://thrillerblog2011.blogspot.co.uk/ 

This student received 18 marks out of 20 on their Research and Planning. I think the main reason to why they achieved this grade boundary is because although they only used 4-6 different technology formats they presented the numerous activities they produced on a very good standard and in a very interesting and sophisticated way. 

The main source of technology they used to present this information were: 

1. YouTube
2. Scribd
3. Prezzi
4. Screengrabs  

 Tasks they carried out: 

1. They recreated a scene of a film on YouTube 
2. Preliminary task & evaluation
3. Prop, character and narrative analysis which included screen grabs and film posters
4. Gender representations (male & female) analysis with screen grabs. 
5. Analysed posters
6. Music and sound track analysis 
7. They gave initial planning of their preliminary tasks ( scripts, outcome, story-board) 
8. Many two minute opening analysis 
9. Thriller sub-genres analysis
10. Film pitch PowerPoint analysis
11. Production and distribution research
12. Target audience research
13. Group planning
14. First shooting 
15. Editing to build tension in a film included screen grabs/ photos

Faster: two minute opening analysis

Faster is a crime/drama/action film made in 2010. The film is about a bank robber who was just released from prison that goes on a rampage to avenge his dead brothers death and is later on pursued by two relentless police officers and an eccentric hit man.

In the first two minutes we are firstly introduced with the films production company which is Tri-Star (picture top right). This gives the audience a rough guide of what the film will be like, as they are known for although making a variety of films, mostly making films of the genre action comedy. We are then shown the logo of Castle Rock Entertainment which is another production company. As shown just seconds after this we are told through these logos that this film has three production companies involved, one of which is CBS which is not only a film production company but also a distribution company which suggests this film might have a big audience but also may have high box office figures, as it might be very successful due to the combination of contributors.



We firstly see a man walking back and forth through a doors glass window. The man we see appears to be a very intimidating and strong character. Through what we see, the audience can come to a conclusion that this character is in a building that is not necessarily run down but one which its tenants may not care all that much about the appearance. Something for example like a government/council estate.

We then see this man walking back and forth from a birds eye angle. The confine space, the fact that this man is in a room which has a bed and a metallic toilet in one space suggest he is in a prison. (picture on the right). The actions this character is doing seem to be placed in order to make him seem worried about something perhaps for his safety as at one point we see scars on this characters body. His prison cell seems isolated in the sense that it appears he doesn't have many personal belongings linking to the idea that prisoners don't give too much away about themselves in order not to appear weak. 

The man then suddenly stops and stares at something. The  main focus, however is not on what he is looking at, but him. What he is looking at is blurry, suggesting that it is important to him as he may be focusing on it with a lot of emotion. The focus is mainly of him standing there looking at what we can make out to be a photograph. The thing that stands out most in this precise scene is the scar on the characters back, this prisoner appears very strong and muscular yet this scar seems to appear very big across his wide back although it is actually small in size. The scar gives emphasis to the fact that this character may not have had an easy time in prison suggesting that he may have been in brutal situations. Furthermore, the scar appears to be old but very deep connoting that it was very painful.

We are then revealed what the character was looking at. A photograph which has him and another man together, through this picture we can come to the conclusion that the person in the picture is perhaps a family relative of the main character, as their body language suggests that they are very close. The way we are presented with this scene suggests that this person had/has great significance to this man. In addition, this gives it away as we see that this photograph in the only thing that appears to be in this characters cell that may have personal value to him and that may give something way about him. We are presented the picture with the way that this character sees it; we see the picture from a shot that has been taken over his shoulder, the part of the man that is visible is blurry yet the picture is very bright in comparison to the rest of the setting in this scene suggesting that he is looking at it with a lot of emotion.  

The next shot is one which is zoomed in of just his eyes. Through this we see that this man is indeed looking at this photograph with a lot of emotions as although we can't see his whole face we can see his eyes. In this scene the main character looks content looking at the photograph, but then seems very angry.when we are introduced to him as the 'driver' , he has a very angry look on his face. Only half of his face is visible as it is bright from sunlight. The light could symbolize that this is a very important day for the Driver in some sort of way as we then see that the prison guards approach him to  take him somewhere which is not clear to us yet. From the beginning of the scene until this part the music is very upbeat and has a fast pace suggesting that this is a very adrenaline full movie. When this character is outside of his cell and is walking in-between the two officers the music continues however, the music becomes quieter while the sound of other prisoners, one by one shout while he walks across their cells. Each time the Driver walks past a cell the prisoners become even more aggressive towards him. 

 This tells us that he might have lost this person through a possibly horrible even and is distraught about it however, the memory of this person seems to keep him determined. 

Cinematography & plot:

I chose other scenes from the first five minutes of the film that I thought were very interesting and we could possibly use certain camera, plot and sound techniques for the two minute opening of our own film.  The picture on the right is of the scene after where the guards are taking him somewhere. While they are walking the music and aggressive sounds seem to fade away and become a part of the background, as the voice of the man becomes louder and louder as if he is narrating a story whereas he is talking to the Driver where their conversation actually takes place in the scene where they are sitting in this man's office. ( the screen grab Day 1). 

I liked this angle used in these scene for screen grab 1 because it is as though we are walking and seeing what the main character is going through which results in us empathising with him. Furthermore, I think it gives us a clear image of a sense of authority within the prison as it appears that this man has a higher authority to than the main character. I like how they used inter titles, for example labelling it 'day 1' showing that this character has a long journey ahead of him but still remains optimistic about the situation and is very focused.  

Furthermore, I like the next scene because while they are in the office and the man is talking to the Driver, we are again placed in his situation, making the older man's speach and image slow down and appear out of focus while the main focus is on the clock which is in his office suggesting that time is an essential factor to his plan. In this scene there is no use of music however, they want to show the importance of sound as the only thing we can clearly hear is the sound of the clock ticking and his heart beating faster possibly because he might be nervous for what follows after his release.
















In addition, I chose this scene because I like how as the main character is running it looks like every other five strides he makes another inter title appears with credits and the names of the actors in this film. Similarly, I like how it is a focused/ zoomed in shot of his feet while he is running and looks a bit blurry to match his speed and pace of how fast he is running or how he is feeling. Furthermore, I like how in the scene where the film title appears, the main character is shot at from a wide angle behind him, the background and surroundings look very isolated suggesting that the movie is action packed but the main focus is of him and what he is trying to accomplish when he is released from prison.

Lastly, I really the editing in the scene that I screen grabbed in the picture on the left. I really like how you can see him driving from within the car and can see him very determined. The thing I liked the most and am hoping we will be able to use or replicate in the  two minute opening of our film is how they made it seem that the speedometer is third dimensional. Through this scene we can assume that the speed may suggest the pace of which he taking things and is trying to accomplish his plans.


As explained above, I feel like there are a lot of techniques used in the two minute opening of the film Faster that would be very effective if we used in our film as it is a film within the genre similar to what we would like to make it. Throughout the two minute opening, I believe that it manages to capture the audiences interest and make them want to watch the rest of the film as it gives them enough detail yet doesn't give too much away. 

Prezi- our film analysis/info

I created a presentation full of information such as what the main storyline is about. I also included information on roughly, what type of music, characters and costume we would like to include in the two minute opening of our film. I believe that this is very helpful because it allows to have a rough idea of what we will need but also what we will need to look for while shooting in order for everything to link nicely within our two minute opening, resulting in a clear view in the audiences minds. 

Collage/moodboard

• I created this collage with pictures that I thought linked with our film idea. The images I chose are very important as I thought that a member of the audience could even just glance at this and still get a rough idea of what our film consists of.  

• The three pictures in the first column show what our main character will see as they will be running through the woods scared, trying to get to a safe place as they are in a very isolating and scary situation. The first picture in the second column and the third picture in the last column indicate what kind of personality our main character has (stereotypically) through her style choice. We want our audience to know that the main character is only a teenager and is dressed very casually, the form of her outfit takes one of a typical teenage girl. 

• Furthermore, the first two pictures in the last column link with the pictures of the first column as they show that the main character is running away from a car that is speeding towards her as she found herself in a difficult situation which may or may not be given to the audience in the opening two minutes of our film. Similarly, the second picture in the last row connotes that something might have happened to the girl in the end, however, the end result will remain unknown to the audience. To create this collage/moodboard I used the website 'Fotor'. 

Diary Prost 3: 6th of October

In this lesson, we told the whole class our plans for our opening two minutes of our film. This is some of the feedback we got: 

• Someone gave us the opinion that we need to choose what time of day we want it to be set and also we need to consider the weather conditions as we need to think if we will be able to fit in all the filming in one day but also if we will need to do more filming on another day it will be able to re-do those scenes so it could still flow and seem natural within the whole film.
• We will also need to research more action/drama films in order to get some techniques for creating tension. 
• In addition, we need to think of some different camera angles but also pauses, so that it is not just two minutes of someone running through a forest. We may think about included small hints to why the person is running. 

Overall, the feedback was positive as the idea of the enigma seemed interesting and gripping. When sharing the initial idea for our film with the class, we received some constructive criticism and we were given opinions on how we could improve in many ways.  

Initial ideas for opening of a film

While creating this Slide Share presentation I took the initial presentational ideas from Ellie but recreated it with my own words and my own interpreted ideas as we are working together as a team to create this two minute opening. Through this Slide Share we wanted to expand on the brainstorm we created further back from the ideas we had on what we wanted to included in our two minute opening and the importance of these. During these slides we included how we are planning on using narrative, inter-titles and camera shots, music, characters etc. 

The Proposal film opening Analysis

The Proposal is a romantic comedy made in 2009.

• The first thing we see are the production, director and actors titles.  (Mandeville films, Touchstone pictures).
• The opening scene of the film begins with a view of someone running through a forest, the thing that helped us identify the genre as a romantic comedy and not a horror was the music.
• The music was upbeat and cheery suggesting that the situation in the scene wasn't intense or stressful.
• We then see a zoomed out camera shot showing us that it is a scene of it shown on the TV in an apartment where one of the main characters (the female lead) is up early exercising whilst flicking through work documents. This suggests that she is very organised, successful and very health conscious.
• The setting which takes place in this movie is revealed by certain signifiers which then help us figure out where the film is set. The signifiers in this movie were the big buildings (New York skyline) the female main character could see through her window, the cab peeping noises but also the busy sight and sound of the yellow taxis which immediately helped us figure out it was set in NYC.
• We are then introduced to the main male character which is introduced to show a huge contrast between the two characters but to also suggest that they may not possibly cross paths or get on as they are completely different types of people.

• In the shot where we are introduced to the male character we can see that he is an unorganised person which may not be in a very successful person, in this scene he is running late for work. In this shot around him we see that he is also very untidy as there are magazines and tv programme guides lying around which also reminds again of the huge differences between them as she seems to be more domestically prepared than he is. Furthermore, the level of success is also made clear to us as she has a very professional man whereas the first words that are said by the male character was a swear word. In addition, another thing that makes this clear is their living conditions as she appears to be living in an expensive, clean and well kept apartment whereas it could be argued that it is the complete opposite for him.
• We are shown straight from the start that these characters may even have a mutual dislike about each other and it is a completely non-romantic relationship.

• We are then shown a scene where he is rushing to Starbucks to get coffee, we get a sense of the type of character he may be as he used his appearance to get ahead so he wouldn't have to wait long in the coffee shop. We then see him rushing into a building where he seems to be well known/liked, we can see this from the other people who we assume are his work colleagues body language and attitude towards him.

• This shows contrast to how she is presented as she is shown as feared straight away due to the people emailing back and forth notifying each other that she has arrived to work ('It's here'), however, the non diegetic sound reminds us that although she may be feared in her work environment it is going to end up better as it resets the tone of the film for what it is (romantic comedy). 

• Furthermore, when she is in a room or is going somewhere the tone, opinion and attitude of people is set towards her by the change in music and the fact that everything seems to get quieter and the sound of her heels get louder showing that she is a stereotypically feared business woman that is very controlling.
• However, this film challenges the stereotypes as it shows that a woman is in charged and more successful than the man as he is then revealed to be her personal assistant. We can also see how feared she is even from the small gesture that he gets both drinks the same every morning which are the drinks she likes just incase an incident happens where her cup is spilt etc.
• The camera angles follow each character.