Audience Research

Audience Research

 

 

The aim of this questionnaire is to look for the best suitable genre and storyline that we will develop upon, and later create into a short opening scene of a movie.

 

 

1. Which genre do you generally watch?

 

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Drama

Historical

Horror

Musicals

Science Fiction

Thriller

War

Westerns

 

2. For a new film being released would you rather see a thought provoking movie or a simple guns and bullets all out blast?

 

Thought provoking Guns and bullets

 

3. Would you like to see a film that puts you on the edge of your seat?

 

Yes No

 

4. Would you like a strong divide between good and evil, hero and villain?

 

Yes No

 

5. In the film would you like to see a sense of drama and atmosphere?

 

Yes No

 

6. Would you want to have dialogue in the first 2 minutes?

 

Yes No

 

From the results above I can see that the audience generally prefer a thriller with a clear divide between good and bad or hero and villain with as little speech as possible but at the same time providing an on the edge of your seat tense atmosphere for them to enjoy. The film therefore must have clear characters set in motion Prop’s theory on character types, also have massive scenery and unique but unusual shots to create the atmosphere that puts you near the edge of your seat. Music here will also help to build the tension and create the atmosphere needed, it is generally scene that classical or instrumental music aids in this build up for the viewer at hand and so research is needed.  

Organisation

During the process of production I played a key roll in the script and storyboard making. I did this by adding ideas and thoughts to the storyboard and doing the drawing for the pictures as we moved through the storyboard. For the script I typed it up in the format that was needed. I also helped out with filming in the group and did at least 50% of the actual filming. I mostly filmed the interview shots and the common shots with assistance for the indoor shots. When it came to editing I did again about 50% of the work as we had major problems early on leaving us with a tight gap to finish the film and have it handed in, so lucky I had the software at home to do it and so I spent a lot of my evenings doing just this.



Actors

Murderer
The killer must be dressed in quite dark clothing as this shows a negative/evil view towards him. He must also remain silent throughout the film as it will add an element of mystery and suspense.


Victim

The victim will wear more brightly coloured clothing like pink, this will give a more innocent and bright and bubbly impression on the viewer. The victim however will wear two different outfits as the time zone for the film is spread over a two day period, one day with the first lover (killer) and the second day with the new lover.

Police Officer
The Police Officer will be detective so no uniform will be required. The Police Officer must be dressed quite formal throughout the film, as it will show a more realistic view.

Lover
The new lover/second lover will be dressed very causal in the film will a simple jeans and jumper outfit so that the attention is not drawn away from the main characters.


Locations

We chose to use the locations selected, as the common was the perfect place in which to create a remote shot but at the time giving the impression of urban life close by. The indoor shot was chosen for the fact that the room was plain and simple and very open with only a table inside it and light at the rear of the room. All together those elements create a tense atmosphere for which to commit the act of killing with in. The park scene was chosen as it had the right settings that we were looking for, an open area with a tree and a park bench. The other shots 2 shots of town were chosen for the fact that a lot of people would walk past and that a lot of traffic would drive by therefore giving us the best effect possible of time passing. The first shot used in the film is inside an interview room was chosen as it appears to be a simple and empty room with one exit/entrance and table and 2 chairs inside it, the perfect layout for a police interview room.

Overall the locations chosen have merged together very well to create a build up of tension.

Costumes

The costumes used for production were simple ones, for the girl we used bold pink which is a traditional colour for girls in today’s world. For the killer we used a black coat and jeans which showed a simple dark coloured outfit which will represent a more evil or darker side to the character involved in comparison with the striking pink on the girl.

Overall the colours of the two main characters complement each other quite well representing their motives easily, one dark and one light. The hero and the villain.

The other two costumes used in the film are the officers outfit used is a simple but smart look which represents the clean cut attitude of the officer, the boyfriends/lovers outfit is a more casual laid back look with jeans and hoody, which represents the average UK teenage male.

Props

The props used in the filming were a knife, chair, photo and an envelope. The knife was there to add tension and danger into the film. The envelope was used to create a unique transition and to add an air of mystery as to what is in the envelope, the photo which connects to the envelope and camera was used to create yet another unique transition to show the passing of time and the changing of a relationship between two people, the second photo was used to show the end of a relationship and two lives, one in prison and the other passed.

Textual Analysis

Rock ‘N’ Rolla 

Action-Thriller

 

Generic conventions

• Drugs
• Sex
• Guns
• Alcohol
• Dark room
• Weapon focus

 

The conventions used here are the visual use of drugs and what appears to be a gun in which the camera focus’s on there fore pulling your attention in. It later appears to be a lighter though therefore mixing your views. The dark room with a single light source is also a convention as it there to create an air of mystery and engagement with the audience.

 

Lighting

• Dull
• One single light source in the centre of the screen

 

The single light source used in the shot is there to create an outline of the main character and therefore not showing him in detail so that the mystery element is kept in tact.

 

Sound

• Voice over
• Lighter
• Women and man in cubical
• Shot glass hitting table

 

The sound used is very simple, it begins with a voice over which continues to the end of the shot with music playing in the background which picks up volume when the man stops talking. The only other sound used is the lighter coming on, the shot glass hitting the bar and the man and women in the pub cubical having sex which last for only a second. A very quick and possibly unnoticeable element in the film, one that I did not pick up on till the second time round.

 

Editing

• Quick cuts between shots
• 4 shot’s in total
• One long shot to start with the camera pushing in on the character

 

The camera angles were simple, one long push and then an eye level and high angle shot all with cuts in between. The total number of shots used were 4, with the first being a extreme long shot moving into a close up through the act of pushing and the other three being simple one second long shots that only appear to flash up onto the screen.

 

 

Silent Hill

Horror-Thriller

 

 

Generic Conventions

• Dark woods
• Tunnel
• Graffiti
• Midnight
• Fire
• Foot steps
• Dark black eyes
• Christian Cross
• Girls teddy bear

 

The generic convention here is the fire that symbol’s hell and danger. The woman in the dark woods also gives you a sense of mystery and danger in which you are engaged. The young girl stood on the hill with the cross in the distance also creates an unusual sense, as she appears to be in some kind of trance.

 

Lighting

• Dark
• Lit by headlights
• The outside of the cross lit by fire

 

The lighting used in this part of film is simple as it only uses headlights from cars and fire to light the stage. The fire is seen around the edge of the cross and in the pit. All together though these elements create a tense atmosphere for the viewer.

 

Sound

• Cars
• Women calling out
• Foot steps
• Forest noise e.g. Crickets, frogs
• Running stream and waterfall
• Girl screaming
• Music played on top
• Fire

 

The sound used here is key as the women calling out for her child is what sets your emotions in play, the noise of cars going above her head on the bridge also add effect as at that point you have already seen the girls teddy bear but have not yet discovered the girl leaving you with a thought of death or injury. Once the music plays it adds effect as it builds up in volume and intensity. To the final part which ends with the girl screaming aloud in what appears to be a trance saying just one set of words over and over “Silent Hill”.

 

 

 

 

Editing

• Cuts
• Long shot
• High angle
• Birds eye view
• Push in
• Tracking
• Panning

 

The editing used is very complex as it adds many kinds of shots over and over, it also plays on your mind as it continues to move and at many points cutting the person out of view from the shot, and to finally find them again in the next shot but generally on the other side of the screen. 

 

Shoot Em” Up

Action-Thriller

 

Generic conventions

• Gun
• Knife
• Dark street
• Lamp lit
• Dark alley

 

The generic conventions in the first few minutes here are traditional ones, an example could be the gun and knife which both appear within seconds of each other setting for you an already intense atmosphere.

 

Lighting

• Street Lamp
• Headlights

 

The area is lit by a single street lamp, with car head lights for a moment. All together this gives a tense and mysterious atmosphere for the viewer.

 

Sound

• Breathing
• Crunching of a carrot
• Car skidding
• Women crying
• Man sighing
• Gun being loaded
• Man talking

 

The sound used is mostly diagetic sound, with only one of bit of sound being non-diagetic which is the car skidding and crashing as you do not actually see the accident happen. The other noise from the women crying to the general street noise is there to give you a sense of pain and general hard ship, with a strong contrast the sound of a carrot being munched upon.

 

Editing

• Quick simple cuts
• Extreme close up
• Close up
• Long shot
• Low angle shot
• Mid shot

 

The editing is used is simple and clean, it starts with an extreme close up of the characters eye’s therefore setting you with the motion that he is most likely the main character involved in the film. It then moves to a close up through cut at which point the carrot is seen on the scene therefore setting you with unusual and strange emotions towards the character. The long shot which sets the scene is also the main shot as it sets the other two characters, the pregnant women who is stumbling down the street and the aggressive man who later in a mid shot pulls a weapon out.