MY POTENTIAL TARGET AUDIENCE

Questionnaire finding out about target audience questions:

1. whats your favourite film genre?
2. What is your favourite thriller sub-genre? 
3. Do you prefer thrillers that have simple or complicated plot lines?
4. Do you prefer films based in modern days or olden days?
5. What is your favourite thriller film?
6. who is your favourite thriller film actor?
7. who is your favourite director?  
8. Do you like opening sequences with actors in or with a simple back drop?
9. What music would you expect to hear in a thriller film? (choose two)

Answers for our questionnaire:

1. (3 said) Comedy, (4 said) thriller, (2 said) Romantic comedy, Action 
2. Psychological thriller, (4 said) Action thriller, Crime thriller, (two said) conspiracy thriller, Techno Thriller, Mystery Thriller
3. (5 said) complicated, (5 said) simple
4. (8 said) modern days, (2 said) olden days
5. Taken, Scar Face, Pulp Fiction, A Clockwork Orange, Kill Bill, GoodFellers, No country for Old Men, (2 people said) Limitless, Inception 
6. Daniel day Lewis, Robert De Niro, (two people said) Lion Nesson, Judi Dench, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Angelina Jolie.
7. (Two people said) Paul Thomas Anderson, (4 people said) Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, (two said) Alfred Hitchcock
8. (9 said) with actors, (1 said) with a simple backdrop.
9. (4 said) Fast paced, (3 said) slow paced, (4 people) loud music, (4 said) quiet music, (2 said) soft and gentle, (3 said) violent and agressive.  

My potential target audience for my thriller film would be an 15. This would be because it presents issues such as drug abuse and a lot of references to sexual abuse, this would be show through the whole movie, not in the introduction. However it would not be directly shown but more the effects of drugs.

FILM CLASSIFICATION GUIDELINES

The film ratings are:

U films 

The U rating means that it is suitable for all, the U stands for universal. U films should not raise any significant issues in terms of discrimination, drugs, horror, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex, theme or violence. There can only be very mild bad language in the films such as 'damn' and 'hell' but it can only be used in justified context. Characters may be seen kissing or cuddling and there may be references to sexual behaviour. At all categories heterosexual and homosexual sexual behaviour and activities are treated the same – so there could be occasional very mild references to gay or straight sexuality at U. A U film may include brief fight scenes or moments where characters are placed in danger. However, moments of emotional stress or threat will be quickly resolved and the outcome will be reassuring. ‘Baddie’ characters may carry or use weapons, but there will be no emphasis on these. Child or ‘hero’ characters are unlikely to use any kind of weapon outside, for example, historical settings.

Information found at http://bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/u

  PG Films
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children.
No theme is prohibited at PG, as long as it is treated in a manner appropriate to the category. PG works can explore challenging issues such as domestic violence, bereavement or racism. In a PG film, illegal or antisocial behaviour, such as bullying, will not be condoned or seen to go unchallenged. Smoking and drinking will not be promoted or glamorised and if child characters are seen smoking or drinking, there should be a clear message that this is bad. If drugs are mentioned or seen, a PG work should emphasise that they are harmful. References to sex are acceptable if the activity talked about or shown is implied and lacking in detail, heterosexual and homosexual sex and sex references are treated the same. There should be no detail of violence in a PG work, so while there might be some blood, we would not see how the injury was inflicted in strong detail.

Information found at http://bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/pg


 12 and 12A Films
12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. The 12 certificate is just for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema only. The content of 12A rated films to be suitable for children aged 12 and over, and we would not recommend taking very young children to see them. The overall tone of a film or DVD, and the way it makes the audience feel may affect the classification. For example, a work which has a very dark or unsettling tone which could disturb the audience would be less likely to be passed 12A. Strong language can be used in a 12 but it has to be in the right context and not just said randomly. Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed at 12 or 12A, however everything that is said or shown must be suitable for young teenagers. Heterosexual and homosexual sex and sex references are treated the same. At 12A, moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. Dangerous behaviour (for example hanging, suicide and self-harming) may be present in 12 or 12A works but will not dwell on detail which could be copied or present those activities as pain or harm free. There may be infrequent sight of drugs misuse in a 12 or a 12A but the portrayal should not be glamorised or provide instructional details.

Information found at http://bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/12a-and-12

  15 Film
 No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD.  15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. The main difference between a 12 and a 15 is that they contain:

• strong violence
• frequent strong language
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• discriminatory language or behaviour
• drug taking

There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language, and the work could explore themes relating to this. However, at 15 the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour. At 15 violence may be strong. It should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury, however, and the strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. At 15 drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. 

Information found at http://bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15

  18 Film
Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. No theme is prohibited at 18. 
18 films can contain:

• very strong violence
• frequent strong language and/or very strong language
• strong portrayals of sexual activity
• scenes of sexual violence
• strong horror
• strong blood and gore
• real sex (in some circumstances)
• discriminatory language and behaviour

 There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language at 18, and the work could explore themes relating to this.  At 18 drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.

Information found at http://bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/18 

 

PRELIMINARY TASK

For our preliminary task we were shown a short video and were told we had to copy it and re make it exactly the same. We followed a list of instructions that it had to follow. the directs that we were given were:
1. Long shot
2. Cut to a close up
3. Cut to a medium long shot
4. Cut to a medium shot
5. Cut to a 2-shot, a long shot of the two people in the room
6. Cut to a over the shoulder medium close up with dialogue
7. Cut to an over the shoulder shot
8. Cut back to the original over the shoulder shot
9. Cut to the second over the shoulder shot
10. Cut back to the original over the shoulder shot
11. Cut back to the second over the shoulder shot. Fade out and end.

I found it very useful and helpful to do this because it allowed me to become familiar to how the camera worked and what looked good and what didn't, it also allowed me to see how the editing process worked. It has also helped me when i've been planning my time because it has showed me how long it takes to make and edit.

INFLUENCES FOR MY THRILLER

One of our biggest influences when we were thinking of ideas for out thriller introduction was 21 Jump street. What we really liked about the introduction to it was that there was a lot of very fast paced, fast moving clips put together and also longer slower ones for when the titles come up.

What we also really liked about this movie was that it wasn't a scary or horror thriller so the suspense was build from other means rather than something scary.  

We also took alot of influence from certain music videos, including The A Team -Ed Sheeran and We Found love - Rihanna. What we really liked about these videos is the story line of them and how they show the themes of the music video directly and indirectly. 
They both have themes of the high life and a party life style but also the darker sides of it such as drug abuse and the implications of it. 

These themes that are presented in the music videos were also shown in the 21 Jump Street introduction. 

Another thing we liked from these music videos is not only the story lines but also how some things in it have been shot, for example we really liked from the 'We Found Love' video the idea of being in the bath fully dressed giving the impression of drug abuse but without actually showing this happening but rather the after effects.We particularly liked some of the shots they had, for example in the A team video we really liked the idea of the girl putting on her make up in the mirror and for ours we are trying to recreate a similar idea with the girl applying the make up but we want to show it from a different angle. In the 'We found love' video they also show the idea of having a lot of fast paced clips and then also a lot of slow clips.

Another one of our influences is the movie Taken. When we started thinking of ideas for out thriller we thought what the whole movie would be about and worked backwards from that. The movie taken is about a girl who gets kidnapped and sold for trafficking, we would have liked our movie, if we were to make the whole movie to follow that theme. 

MY FAVOURITE THRILLER FILMS

Limitless is one of my favourite thriller films because i feel that it pushes the boundaries and is very different to other thrillers. I find the ideas that the movie presents very interesting and although it is based on fantasy and sci-fi ideas it brings it into the 'real world' and makes it seem very real and believable. 

Limitless is a 2011 thriller film directed by Neil Burger and starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, and Robert De Niro. It is based on the 2001 novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn with the screenplay by Leslie Dixon. The film was released on March 18, 2011.

Limitless is about a writer who is offered an off market drug by his exgirlfriends brother that would act as a stimulant and allow him to acces every part of his brain rather than just 20%. The movie follows the consiquences and implications of the drug and involved other people who are also trying to get hold of the drug.

Another one of my favourite thriller films is James Bond Cassino Royale (2006).

OPENING SEQUENCE

Another thriller introduction i looked at was the opening title sequence to Coraline

The clip starts off with the

The first title that comes up is the production company, it comes up in the middle of the screen.

Follow are two other production companies are associated with the movie.

Next is the title of the Movie.

After is the actors name listed.

The next title that comes up is the lead animators, this fades on and off with a doll being held in the background.

The title after fades in and out in the same way, the next title is art directors.

Concept idea follows with the same transitions.

After is art directors with the same theme.

Following is storyboard supervisor. 

After is the editors.

Then visual effects.

 Following that is music by.

Then supervising animator.

Then director of photography.

Then produced by.

Then produced by. 

Then based on the novel by, this title only appears if the story is based on an already existing book or screen play.

The final one is written for the screen and directed by, this title is used when it was originally a book and it has been rewritten as a screen play with the purpose of being made into a movie.

In order of appearance:

00:03 Production company

00:07 Production company associated with the movie

00:12 Production company associated with the movie

00:18 Movie title

00:22 First actors name

00:25 Second actors name

00:30 Third actors name

00:33 Fourth actors name

00:38 More actors names

00:42 Final actors name

00:49 Lead animators

01:00 Concept artist

01:04 Art directors

01:09 Story board director

01:21 Editors

01:25 Visial effects supivisor

01:33 Music by

01:46 Supervising Animator

01:55 Director of Photography

02:01 Produced by

02:10 Produced by

02:14 Based on the novel by

02:19 Written for the Screen by

OPENING SEQUENCES

Another Opening that i have looked at is Fallen Angel (1945) http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/fallen-angel/

The opening sequence starts off with the name of the production company 

After this on a road sign the names of the main actors come up and scroll across the screen. 

The name of the movies follows in the same format as the previous. 

Following this more names, the names are not titled but i would assume that they are also actors names. 

After this the screen play title comes up, this is different to the other clip i watched because in the previous one, the director was the first one to appear and the screen writer was after. 

On the next road sign there is director of photography, music and the musical director. 

The following road sign showed the art director, set director, associate, film editor, customers, make up artist, special photographic effects and sound.