Friday, 8 May 2009
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Plot Ideas Brainstorm
1. We see news footage of the 1st anniversary of a missing girl. The camera then pans around the room and we see walls covered with newspaper sheets that are about the missing girl. The camera then zooms in on one particular article, in which we see a picture of a man and a headline suggesting he killed the girl, but there is no evidence. The camera then pans again and we come face-to-face with the same man who is on the picture.
However, we have decided to go with the second idea which is;
2. Use the rhyme ‘Mondays Child’ as a plot for a thriller. On each day, somebody gets killed related to the lyrics of the rhyme. Mondays victim (Mondays child is fair of face) is vain and therefore the reason for her death will be vanity. Tuesdays victim (Tuesdays child is full of grace) is shown to be a holy man praying in a church, we hear footsteps walking up the aisle then the camera slowly zooms out of the church. In doing so, the body of the victim is revealed. Wednesdays victim (Wednesdays child is full of woe) kills themselves by suicide, however all is not as it seems as we get a flashback of the victims childhood and see a teacher shouting at them. Thursdays victim (Thursdays child has far to go) is a homeless man. We see him begging for money but people are just walking past ignoring him. However, there is a sudden rush of people and when that clears, we see the victim lying on the floor, having been killed. Fridays victim (Fridays child is loving and giving) shows a prostitute standing on the street. A man, who’s identity we don’t know, leads her into a dark alley. We then see the silhouettes of the man holding up a knife and then killing the woman. Saturdays victim (Saturdays child works hard for a living) shows a businessman sitting at his desk in his office, and he is killed because of his greed. With each murder, the pictures of the victims are crossed off on a picture. Sunday will be extremely different however, as this is the day that begins to reveal the killer. The rhyme for this will also be changed to ‘And the child that is born on the Sabbath day is sinful, vile, dark and depraved.’
However, we have decided to go with the second idea which is;
2. Use the rhyme ‘Mondays Child’ as a plot for a thriller. On each day, somebody gets killed related to the lyrics of the rhyme. Mondays victim (Mondays child is fair of face) is vain and therefore the reason for her death will be vanity. Tuesdays victim (Tuesdays child is full of grace) is shown to be a holy man praying in a church, we hear footsteps walking up the aisle then the camera slowly zooms out of the church. In doing so, the body of the victim is revealed. Wednesdays victim (Wednesdays child is full of woe) kills themselves by suicide, however all is not as it seems as we get a flashback of the victims childhood and see a teacher shouting at them. Thursdays victim (Thursdays child has far to go) is a homeless man. We see him begging for money but people are just walking past ignoring him. However, there is a sudden rush of people and when that clears, we see the victim lying on the floor, having been killed. Fridays victim (Fridays child is loving and giving) shows a prostitute standing on the street. A man, who’s identity we don’t know, leads her into a dark alley. We then see the silhouettes of the man holding up a knife and then killing the woman. Saturdays victim (Saturdays child works hard for a living) shows a businessman sitting at his desk in his office, and he is killed because of his greed. With each murder, the pictures of the victims are crossed off on a picture. Sunday will be extremely different however, as this is the day that begins to reveal the killer. The rhyme for this will also be changed to ‘And the child that is born on the Sabbath day is sinful, vile, dark and depraved.’
Research Into the Thriller Genre
If the genre is to be defined strictly, a genuine thriller is a film that edgily pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax.
The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a threatening situation where escape seems impossible. Life itself is threatened, usually as the main character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous situation.
It is easy to see that most audiences enjoy a thriller with films such as Se7ven making a gross profit of $316,400,000 (Worldwide)
Thrillers are often mixture - there are suspense-thrillers, action- or adventure- thrillers, sci-fi thrillers (such as Alien 1979), crime-caper thrillers (such as The French Connection 1971), western-thrillers (such as High Noon 1952), film-noir thrillers (such as Double Indemnity 1944), even romantic comedy-thrillers (such as Safety Last 1923).
One of the first thrillers made was the unsettling ‘M’ (1931) directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre as a child killer. The film's story was based on the life of serial killer Peter Kurten (known as the 'Vampire of Dusseldorf').
Many argue that Alfred Hitchcock was the greatest writer/director of thrillers. He helped to shape the modern-day thriller genre, beginning with his early silent film The Lodger (1926). Alfred Hitchcock is considered the master of the thriller genre, manipulating his audience's fears and desires. Hitchcock often relates to a taboo or sexually-related theme in his films and has often placed an innocent victim into a terrorizing situation.
The top 10 thrillers are;
Psycho (1960) (# 1)
Jaws (1975) (# 2)
The Exorcist (1973) (# 3)
North By Northwest (1959) (# 4)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (# 5)
Alien (1979) (# 6)
The Birds (1963) (# 7)
The French Connection (1971) (# 8)
Rosemary's Baby (1968) (# 9)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (# 10)
The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a threatening situation where escape seems impossible. Life itself is threatened, usually as the main character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous situation.
It is easy to see that most audiences enjoy a thriller with films such as Se7ven making a gross profit of $316,400,000 (Worldwide)
Thrillers are often mixture - there are suspense-thrillers, action- or adventure- thrillers, sci-fi thrillers (such as Alien 1979), crime-caper thrillers (such as The French Connection 1971), western-thrillers (such as High Noon 1952), film-noir thrillers (such as Double Indemnity 1944), even romantic comedy-thrillers (such as Safety Last 1923).
One of the first thrillers made was the unsettling ‘M’ (1931) directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre as a child killer. The film's story was based on the life of serial killer Peter Kurten (known as the 'Vampire of Dusseldorf').
Many argue that Alfred Hitchcock was the greatest writer/director of thrillers. He helped to shape the modern-day thriller genre, beginning with his early silent film The Lodger (1926). Alfred Hitchcock is considered the master of the thriller genre, manipulating his audience's fears and desires. Hitchcock often relates to a taboo or sexually-related theme in his films and has often placed an innocent victim into a terrorizing situation.
The top 10 thrillers are;
Psycho (1960) (# 1)
Jaws (1975) (# 2)
The Exorcist (1973) (# 3)
North By Northwest (1959) (# 4)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (# 5)
Alien (1979) (# 6)
The Birds (1963) (# 7)
The French Connection (1971) (# 8)
Rosemary's Baby (1968) (# 9)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (# 10)
Monday, 26 January 2009
Four Weddings and a Funeral Analysis
Four Weddings and a Funeral follows the fortunes of Charles and his friends as they wonder is they will ever find true love and get married. Charles thinks he's found 'Miss Right' in Carrie, an American. This film is a subtle British rom-com, which revolves around Charles, his friends and the four weddings and one funeral which they attend.
There is not a prologue for Four Weddings as the titles and opening music comes first. However, before the titles we have an establishing shot of an invite which sets the tone for the rest of the film. The title sequence also look like invites, carrying on the theme of the establishing shot. They are in traditional wedding text (copperplate) however, some of the titles are in a more gothic font of text. The actual title of the film also looks like an invite, which also links into the rest of the film.
During the title sequence there is non-diegetic music, this is big-band / swing but is also vey romantic, therefore also adding to the atmosphere of the film.
After the titles we immediatley see the character introductions of Charles and his friends. We see the immediate character traits and also have comparing and contrasting scenes to show the differences between the group.
There is not a prologue for Four Weddings as the titles and opening music comes first. However, before the titles we have an establishing shot of an invite which sets the tone for the rest of the film. The title sequence also look like invites, carrying on the theme of the establishing shot. They are in traditional wedding text (copperplate) however, some of the titles are in a more gothic font of text. The actual title of the film also looks like an invite, which also links into the rest of the film.
During the title sequence there is non-diegetic music, this is big-band / swing but is also vey romantic, therefore also adding to the atmosphere of the film.
After the titles we immediatley see the character introductions of Charles and his friends. We see the immediate character traits and also have comparing and contrasting scenes to show the differences between the group.
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Seven Deconstruction
Seven is a psychological thriller / police drama written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It shows all the classic codes and conventions of a thriller.
At the start of this film there are no titles and it goes straight into the prologue which immediatley captures the audiences attention. The opening sequence of Seven is very fragmented and confusing which immediately hooks the viewer and makes them ask questions about whats going to happen in the following scenes of the film. This immediatley draws in the audience. The shots for the opening sequence are very reminiscent of a film projector as they are very grainy and there are no bright colours, but this also adds to the mysterious feeling. Close up's are used alot as they do not give away the full identity of anything, so as not to absolish the hook that has just been created by the fragmented scenes. However, these close up's are also used to draw the attention of the audience to certain things that do not seem linked at this moment in time, but will however become significant throughout the movie. This idea also creates links between all the different scenes.
When the title sequence does appear it still fits in with the prologue. Two very different types of text are used in tandem and this may be to show the differences of the two main characters and could also give an impression of a power struggle between the two. The text flickers around and this connects to the fragmented scenes in the prologue.
The edits and cuts used in Seven fit in very well with the sound and dialogue. Harsh and abrasive sound is used in the film to add gravataz. The music is almost industrial and visceral which is very disturbing but creates a fantastic ambience for the scene.
At the start of this film there are no titles and it goes straight into the prologue which immediatley captures the audiences attention. The opening sequence of Seven is very fragmented and confusing which immediately hooks the viewer and makes them ask questions about whats going to happen in the following scenes of the film. This immediatley draws in the audience. The shots for the opening sequence are very reminiscent of a film projector as they are very grainy and there are no bright colours, but this also adds to the mysterious feeling. Close up's are used alot as they do not give away the full identity of anything, so as not to absolish the hook that has just been created by the fragmented scenes. However, these close up's are also used to draw the attention of the audience to certain things that do not seem linked at this moment in time, but will however become significant throughout the movie. This idea also creates links between all the different scenes.
When the title sequence does appear it still fits in with the prologue. Two very different types of text are used in tandem and this may be to show the differences of the two main characters and could also give an impression of a power struggle between the two. The text flickers around and this connects to the fragmented scenes in the prologue.
The edits and cuts used in Seven fit in very well with the sound and dialogue. Harsh and abrasive sound is used in the film to add gravataz. The music is almost industrial and visceral which is very disturbing but creates a fantastic ambience for the scene.
Codes & Conventions of a Rom-Com.
There are many codes and conventions that are vital to a Rom-Com. Usually these codes involve a narrative or technical plot. For example; in Love Actually the film mainly follows the story of the Prime Minister and his love interest but also other couples are also incorporated into the film.
Rom-coms always have a lighthearted, feel-good storyline which bases itself around romance. Slight comedy will then be introduced to make the film more interesting. Usually this comedy is based on the obstacles that the characters face during the film. Music is also used to create a light-hearted atmosphere but is also used in a way that creates humour. For example, the song 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' may be used in a particular scene.
Rom-coms always have a lighthearted, feel-good storyline which bases itself around romance. Slight comedy will then be introduced to make the film more interesting. Usually this comedy is based on the obstacles that the characters face during the film. Music is also used to create a light-hearted atmosphere but is also used in a way that creates humour. For example, the song 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' may be used in a particular scene.
Codes and Conventions of a Horror
The codes and conventions that are used in horror films are essential to creating an effective atmosphere to set the mood of the piece.
In general, horror films are usually set in middle class suburbia. This is as most people can relate to this, it also makes the film seem more realistic as the audience begin to think; if this can happen here, then it can happen anywhere. Overall, this goes towards creating a chilling atmosphere. The targets of the attacks in horror films are usually teenagers or young girls, some may argue that this is because they are most vulnerable and again, the target audience of horror films can relate to this.
Many horror films tend to involve a lot of blood and gore to show evil. Also the idea that the events that are happening are down to fate is also another idea that is widely used. Horror films are all about breaking the equilibrium and causing death to particular characters. However, there will always be at least one survivor as this enables there to be a sequel if
neccessary and this also adds many questions from the viewers. Usually, horror films will have one main villian and one / a group of main victims.
Finally, sound is needed to complete a horror movie. This is as it adds most of the ambience and creates a feeling of dread in most cases. A film such a Scream wouldn't be as scary without the sound, would it? The feeling that something is going to happen can easily be created with sound effects, for example ; the music could reach a climax just as something bad happens in a scene.
In general, horror films are usually set in middle class suburbia. This is as most people can relate to this, it also makes the film seem more realistic as the audience begin to think; if this can happen here, then it can happen anywhere. Overall, this goes towards creating a chilling atmosphere. The targets of the attacks in horror films are usually teenagers or young girls, some may argue that this is because they are most vulnerable and again, the target audience of horror films can relate to this.
Many horror films tend to involve a lot of blood and gore to show evil. Also the idea that the events that are happening are down to fate is also another idea that is widely used. Horror films are all about breaking the equilibrium and causing death to particular characters. However, there will always be at least one survivor as this enables there to be a sequel if
neccessary and this also adds many questions from the viewers. Usually, horror films will have one main villian and one / a group of main victims.
Finally, sound is needed to complete a horror movie. This is as it adds most of the ambience and creates a feeling of dread in most cases. A film such a Scream wouldn't be as scary without the sound, would it? The feeling that something is going to happen can easily be created with sound effects, for example ; the music could reach a climax just as something bad happens in a scene.
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