Opening Sequence

                                                

Objective: to be able to identify the generic conventions of an opening sequence within a film in particular a thriller film.

Outcomes:

All: will be able to describe the generic conventions of an opening sequence. (E)

Most: will be able to analyse an opening sequence from a film explaining its purpose referring back to the generic conventions used. (C)

Some: will be able to create their own appropriate opening sequence for a thriller film. (A)

Starter:

What are the generic conventions of a thriller film?

List your points

·         Title sequence

·         Opening credits

·         Characters

·         Locations

·         Sound track

·         Establishing shots

·         Lighting

·         Title

·         Narrative

Task 1: Sex and the City.

: the opening sequence was long because for people who have not watched the sitcom/drama they now know a little about the characters and they’re backgrounds. From this the audience now feel involved in the film.

The characters: there are 4 characters but one main character who explains her and her other 3 friend’s background so the audience knows about them this also sets the narrative. This makes the audience up to date on the film for those who have not watched the series. 

The narrative

The location: the location is New York City because that’s where the girls met and over the years they have come and gone from New York City, but now they meet up again for the film.

The Sound – The sound being played is very soft, because there is a narrative being spoken over.  However the song being played is very up beat and happy this is because it goes with the narrative because when she is explaining her life everything she says is happy. This goes well together because she is a middle ages woman living a glamorous life and this relates to the audience because middle ages women, also want to have this glamorous life.

Lighting – The lighting used in Sex in the City is all high key lighting to show the life she lives, which is very girly and glamorous this is to show the life she lives and now that she is moving back to New York and the New York life is  all glamorous  

Twilight

the narrative: the opening sequence was a girl talking about how she did not think she was going to die for someone she loves which is the narration. Although the audience see a dear being chased from a point of view which makes the audience confused because they wonder why they are seeing this.

The characters: there is a main character a girl who is doing a narration a bit about herself moving to somewhere else while her mum goes on the road with her boyfriend and she moves to live with her dad.

The location: she is moving to a town called Forks with her dad.

Task 2- film of my choice:

 Seven

The narrative:  the opening sequence was a detective getting ready for work and he goes to the crime scene to see someone who has been decapitated. Then another detective who has been transferred to this location to work with Morgan freeman

The characters: Morgan freeman and Brad Pitt are two detectives on a case to find the serial killer who has killed seven people who have committed in his eyes seven deadly sins.  It’s a race against time to stop the killer from killing another victim.

The location: at the beginning the location is set in Morgan Freemans house, and then there is a jump cut to the crime scene. After when brad Pitt enters its set outside in the rain.

Genre

                                                                           

Learning Objective: To be able to identify a film’s genre

Learning Outcomes:

·         All of you will be able to explain the genre of a film and give 3 reasons for your judgement

·         Most of you will also be able to give specific examples from the film to back up your point

·         Some of you will also be able to use correct media language in your explanations

Keywords

·         Conventional: What you expect (from a genre)

·         Unconventional: What you would not expect (from a genre)

·         Diegetic sound: The sound comes from the film world

·         Non diegetic sound: The sound would not be heard in the film world

Task 1

	Genre:  Thriller	Genre: Comedy	Genre: romance	Genre: adventure
Sound	Non diegetic, scary screechy sound or violin	Off screen sound, happy music	Happy songs	Drums,
Location	A scary house, a grave yard	House	Restaurant	Jungle
Characters	A victim, a killer, police and a hero	Girlfriend. Girlfriends family, boyfriend	Hot, attractive women, random guy	Hero, villain, female explorer, female explorer’s dad
Camera Movement	Tracking and zoom	panning	follow	pan

Narrative	A serial killer on the lose searching for his ex wife who has moved. Although  serial killer is not too pleased about this so he decides to go on the hunt for her	A girl takes her boyfriend to meet her family	The attractive women’s been single most of her life, and finds its hard to meet the guy of her dreams, comes across a random guy and falls in love.	Female explorer and dad looking for treasure, they get captured by the villain and the hero saves the female explorer and the dad
Lighting	Low key lighting	Top lighting	High key lighting	Natural lighting

Mise-En-Scene

Objective: To be able to show an understanding of how mise-en-scene is used to create meaning

Outcome:

All: will be able to explain one element of mise-en-scene

Most: will be able to identify the 5 elements of mise-en-scene with some examples

Some: Will be able to identify the 5 elements of mise-en-scene and will also be able to use media language effectively to explain examples



The picture on the left looks scary because of the atmosphere it has such as it has mist and the tress are dead this could give us a clue to the genre of the film which would be horror because of the generic conventions it has such as the location is a grave yard. This makes the picture look threatening and scary because of the location and the dead trees .

The picture on the right looks like from a fictional, fantasy and made up story because the forest is big and enchanting, also the forest is very green and pure which makes it unrealistic because everyone in reality knows that forest do not exist like the no more. To the audience that does not look realistic and they can tell that this narrative must be fantasy.

SETTINGS & PROPS

·         Settings used in a film are rarely just backgrounds to the characters and sometimes we see settings with no action taking place. Filmmakers can choose to build a set from scratch in a studio. Alternatively a lot of time and effort is put in by a location manager to find a setting that already exists.

·         Props is the term given to objects in a scene and are usually used to help the narrative or to follow the generic conventions of a film.

COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE-UP

 

·         Costume plays a large part because it can indicate a character’s personality, social status and job. It tells us when the film is set and in what culture.

MAKE-UP

·         Make-up in the early days of cinema was used to highlight facial features, as black and white film stock could not register detail very well.

Facial Expressions & Body Language

·         Facial expressions are a clear indicator of how a person feels. The filmmaker may use a character’s eyes to draw our attention to something or a slight change in a character’s face can tell us something has happened.

·         Body Language also indicates how we are thinking and feeling. Everyone is different but we recognise common features such as shaking a fist means anger, or curling into a ball to protect ourselves.

Lighting

·         Lighting can help to give a scene a realistic look (high key) or a dramatic look (low key). It can also be used to highlight particular objects, characters or to change a character’s appearance.

POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME

 

·         Positioning can indicate the importance of a person or object. If a character is positioned in the foreground we know to assume they have some importance in the scene. Also the positioning of objects can direct our attention to a particular area.

Task 1

Kill Bill

Settings and Props

The film is set in a club full of gangsters, this suggests that this could be there gangsters hideaway, there props they use are masks and the gangsters swords.

Facial Expressions & Make Up

The female character looks angry or annoyed and she looks like she is on edge and she is ready to fight or she has already started fighting and she is catching her breath quickly before she continues fighting

Lighting

The lighting they have used is high key lighting to show the importance of the female character and that something might happen because she is in the main light of source.

Colour

The main character is in yellow and black costume and the gangsters are in a typical white and black suit with masks around there eyes.  The female character stands out more because she is brightly coloured this tells us that she is important because she stands out. Furthermore this tells us she is more dominate and tells us that she may kill everyone.

POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME

The female character is positioned in the middle and is closer to the camera, this allows the character to stand out and look bigger than everyone else in the frame this makes us think that she is more important. This gives us a clue to think that she is main character and the narrative is about her

Reservoir Dogs

Settings and Props

From where this picture has been taken it looks like the picture was taken in a garage, storage room or lock up. The props they are using are guns; we can see chairs, pipes, bin and a ladder.

Facial Expressions & Make Up

Both of the characters have an expressions and anger and tiredness. The characters give the impression that they are sweaty and blood can be seen on both their faces, this gives the suggestion that they have fallen out and fighting to the death which would explain why they have guns point blank at one another.

Lighting

The lighting they have used is low key because it creates a deep dark, shadows over the man on the floor and the man standing. This emphasises the dark gritty life of gangsters when they get into a fight this tells the audience they fight to the death.

Colour

The colours used are dark to create an atmosphere which is dark and gives off a bad vibe to the audience which is a gangster. They low key lighting makes everything look dark and cast shadows over the eyes and makes them look mysterious.

POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME

One character is standing up over the other guy, this shows that maybe the guy standing has a higher authority or that the guy lying down could have crossed the line and the boss could have had to show him that he has higher authority. This gives us the impression he is a leader or a boss. It also indicates that he is the stronger character between the two.

 Film Censorship

Objective: to understand the purpose of film censorship and what it does to the audience

Film Censorship - Film censorship touches the lives of everybody who watches films. It is a part of modern life. Censorship is for protection, the question must be asked though, what is being protected? Is it the public, the state, some body represented in the film, or something else?

Film Certification

UC - Universal, Particularly Suitable For Children (Video Releases Only)

U - Universal

PG - Parental Guidance Recommended

12 - Suitable For Persons Over The Age Of 12

15 - Suitable For Persons Over The Age Of 15

18 - Suitable For Persons Over The Age Of 18

These divisions have emerged from nearly 85 years of censorship.

Fewer films have been banned, they get sent back to the film studios or productions to be edited or cut for the audience for example when they get released they have a double disc on DVD or they have the extended versions with the original takes.

BBFC – British Broad Film Classification

Universal – Suitable for all

It is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. But a ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

If a work is particularly suitable for a pre-school child to view alone, this will be indicated in the Consumer Advice.

Discrimination

No discriminatory language or behaviour unless clearly disapproved of.

Drugs

No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse unless they are infrequent and innocuous, or there is a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable for young children.

Horror

Scary sequences should be mild, brief and unlikely to cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome should be reassuring.

Imitable behaviour

No potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. No emphasis on realistic or easily accessible weapons.

Language

Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.

Nudity

Occasional natural nudity, with no sexual context.

Sex

Mild sexual behaviour (for example, kissing) and references only (for example, to ‘making love’).

Theme

While problematic themes may be present, their treatment must be sensitive and appropriate for young children.

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for some children

‘PG’ Parental Guidance

Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

Theme

More serious issues may be featured, eg crime, domestic violence, racism (providing nothing in their treatment condones them).

Language

Mild bad language only.

Nudity

Natural nudity, with no sexual context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent. Mild sexual references and innuendo only.

Violence

Moderate violence, without detail, may be allowed - if justified by its setting (eg historic, comedy or fantasy).

Imitable techniques

No glamorisation of realistic, contemporary weapons. No detail of fighting or other dangerous techniques.

Horror

Frightening sequences should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.

Drugs

No references to illegal drugs or drug use unless entirely innocuous

12A/12

Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them.

Theme

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

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language; the strongest terms (eg ‘cunt’) are only rarely acceptable. Continued aggressive use of strong language and sexual abuse is unacceptable.

Nudity

There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity and nudity may be portrayed but without strong detail. The depiction of casual sex should be handled responsibly. There may be occasional strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.

Violence

Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain, and of injuries. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.

Imitable techniques

Dangerous combat techniques such as ear claps, head-butts and blows to the neck are unlikely to be acceptable. There may be no emphasis on the use of easily accessible lethal weapons (in particular, knives).

Horror

Sustained or detailed infliction of pain or injury is unacceptable.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but clear instructive detail is unacceptable. The film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug use.

15

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.

Theme

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

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language; the strongest terms (eg ‘cunt’) are only rarely acceptable. Continued aggressive use of strong language and sexual abuse is unacceptable.

Nudity

There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity and nudity may be portrayed but without strong detail. The depiction of casual sex should be handled responsibly. There may be occasional strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.

Violence

Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain, and of injuries. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.

Imitable techniques

Dangerous combat techniques such as ear claps, head-butts and blows to the neck are unlikely to be acceptable. There may be no emphasis on the use of easily accessible lethal weapons (in particular, knives).

Horror

Sustained or detailed infliction of pain or injury is unacceptable.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but clear instructive detail is unacceptable. The film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug use.

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.

The BBFC respects the right of adults to choose their own entertainment, within the law. It will therefore expect to intervene only rarely in relation to ‘18’ rated cinema films. In the case of videos, which are more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent.

There are no constraints at this level on theme, language, nudity or horror. The Board may, however, cut or reject the following content

•          Any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts which is likely to promote the activity. This includes also instructive detail of illegal drug use

•          The more explicit images of sexual activity - unless they can be exceptionally justified by context

Sex Education at ‘18’

Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and educate in matters such as human sexuality, safe sex and health, exceptions to the normal constraints on explicit images may be made in the public interest. Such explicit detail must be kept to the minimum necessary to illustrate the educational or instructional points being made.

Sex Works at ‘18’

Material which appears to be simulated is generally passed ‘18’, while images of real sex are confined to the ‘R18’ category.

We was also to consider our own Thriller film ratings as we would have consider our traget audience, also the content that goes into our film so we would be able to give it a age rating. I think that our film would get a 15 rating because the content we have is voilence but is mild because you do not see any killings. It does contain explict props such as a bloody nature, contains things of a sexual nature such as when she has been killed and raped. Although you do not see this, we used an editing technique called the Kuleshov effect where you do not see it but at the next thing the audience already knows what has happened so they do the thinking for themselves and suspect what has happening giving the film suspense and an emotional impact.

Another reason why I think should be a 15 is because the violence of the film and the sexual nature are disrect and brief which is why I think anyone who is under the age of 15 would not be able to undertsand the context of the film because they are still too young to understand what is going on, they will only understand the basic whereas someone at the age of 15 and over will undertstand the complexity of the film. Futhermore I have done some reasarch of Thriller movies which have the age rating of 12 and 15 and I from this research I am know able to tell what makes a 12 and what makes a 15.

A thriller movie which has 12 tends to have more suspense and more of an impact on the audience in the movie rather than violence  and things of a sexual nature, whereas a 15 will be inclined to have violence which add more of a scare to the viewers and sometimes thigns of mid sexual nature but only discreet. Also in a 12 thriller movie the prop you can only have is a knife and the violence can never been seen the audience just expect that to happen which always works. Whereas a 15 can have more than a knife it can have other dangerous weapons.

In our thriller film we intend to use a knife because it fits in with a choice of genre and also it does make the scene look more realistic. The scene shows the man gently / swiftly / slowly moving the knife down her leg this shows violence but it is discreet, so the auidence do not actually see the stabbing. Through the Kulshov effect they will know and expect that to happen.