Summary of questionnaire and analysis of BFI

I have recently conducted a questionnaire about the three genres of films that I am studying: Rom/Com, Thriller and Horror. I will use my results to confirm what type of film would be best to make and why.

As you can see, there was an equal amount of male and female participants. This makes my final data reliable as there are an equal number of people that took the questionnaire and there is the same ratio of boys to girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here, we can see that about 82% of participants we aged 10-20, 18% were aged 20-40 and no-one aged above 40 took the questionnaire. This is important data because we now have to take into account that we have no idea what the older audience prefer. For example further on, we find that the majority of our audience (young adults) prefer to watch Thrillers but since we have no data from older viewers, we are left in the dark when it comes to what they find interesting to watch.

 



100% of our participants have a white British ethnicity so the data created will support the majority of what the British population like to watch. However, since we have had no results from people with a different ethnicity, we cannot generalise the final data making it even more difficult to appeal to others that did not take the questionnaire.





The results from the question of 'Parents occupation' are mixed. Some people come from a wealthy background, for example one participants parent is a teacher whereas others come from a little less prosperous lifestyle. This gives us a broad outlook as to how people live and what they find interesting.

These answers suggest that most of the participants watch films at least once a day with the exception of about 14% that never watch films. This means that the film that we will be creating will appeal to most of the population.



These set of results are the most important of all.They say what genre film people prefer. This will in the end help us to decide what type of film we should make based on the results. There is an equal amount of people that prefer Thrillers and Rom-Coms over Horrors.



The next three questions were based on what the audience intends to see in each genre of film. For example, the most common answer was the viewing of sexual attractions between a man and a woman in a Rom-Com. For horror, they said that they expect to see supernatural beings and for thriller, the most popular answer was violence or action. This gives us an idea as to what we should include in whatever genre film we would like to produce.

According to the BFI (British Film Institute) the biggest film of 2012 was James Bonds Skyfall. In genre terms, the most popular out of the three I am studying, is Romantic Comedies producing £62.1million. In second is Horror producing £62million and in third, is Thriller making £29.8million. This suggests that the Horror genre has some room for improvement which is good because the film that we make has to be of a high standard to beat all of the other available genres. On the other hand, more Horror films were made throughout the year compared to the other two genres meaning that there is even more competition for the film that we make.

The most popular Horror films viewed in 2012 were: The Cabin in the Woods, Would You Rather and House at the End of the Street. All of these are based on houses of some sort or there has recently been an incident. This shows that our film is unique in the fact that its not based on a historical incident and gives the audience a new spin on Horror. The most popular Thriller films of 2012 were: The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight and Skyfall. All of these films contain weapons or grousome scenes of some sort. Lastly, the most popular Rom-Coms of 2012 were: The Vow, This means war and The five-year Engagement. These all have both aspects of Romance and Comedy in them but some waver one way more than the other for example The Vow, is more Romance whereas This Means War is more Comedy and this means that the directors films appeal to a broader audience and that's what our film has to think about.

In conclusion, we have chosen to make a Horror film. Even though it wasn't the most popular choice of film, our target audience (young adults) expect to see certain events which we could change to make the film more appealing and unique piquing the audiences interests and then raising peoples standards compared to previous horror movies created.

Maid in Manhattan and The Holiday (Rom-Com)

I have chosen these Romantic Comedies to analyse because of their different views on how to create a romance in a humorous way.

Sound
At the beginning in 'The Holiday', there is classical music playing through the introduction creating sound-bridges which add to the slow, sensual romantic feeling defining the genre. The music then turns into a more excitable melody bringing out the more comedic side of the film and this really engages the audience with the quick paced music. On top of this is the non-diegetic voice-over which narrates through the first few shots. This gives the audience a bit of background information about each characters experiences with love. This then sets the scene for future events in the rest of the film. Also, it leaves the audience with a general understanding letting them then be able to relate to the movie.
In Maid in Manhattan, before the first shot has even come on screen, you can hear the horn of a boat and this gives a sense of where the film may be set. It also creates a sound bridge keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. The non-diegetic music is contrapuntal as it's very happy and uplifting music compared to the dull looking side streets of Manhattan. When the music has finished, there is ambient sound creating the rural image and giving the audience a sense of the surroundings of a busy city and giving them an insight to the working class' lives. Once the traffic noises have died down a little, the only noise that can be heard is the speech between the main character and her son. Their dialect reflects their background and the country they live in.

Mise-en-scene
The costume used in The Holiday is modern which reflects the time that the film is set. Also the use of huge furry over-coats and many layers suggests that it's set in the winter. The clothes also suggest how rich the character is. For example Jack Black is wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans which could suggest that he may not be the richest of them all but because of the technology that he is surrounded by, could mean that he is gradually making his way up in the world. Each character has their own significant way of dressing in the first scenes for example, the old man is wearing bed clothing suggesting the time of day and maybe his state compared to Kate Winslet who is wearing a  formal party dress suggesting that she has a well paid job and that the party is formal and the length of the dress also shows her practicality.
The rough surroundings and back streets in Maid in Manhattan foreshadow the life that the main character might lead. The costumes that are also used for her suggest that she doesn't earn much money as they are a bit old fashioned meaning that she might have gotten them second hand. This also applies to her son and the rest of the population in lower Manhattan.

Editing
Not much editing is used in The Holiday however the shots do flow to create the sensual romantic feeling instead of having a jump to each shot.
On top of that, Maid in Manhattan only has basic editing too. This signifies that the main character is a working class girl and can only afford basic necessities thus linking to the basic editing. The fast paced moving of the shots matches her fast paced life trying to catch up with the rich and famous.

Cinematography
The zoom out from the clip of the romantic couple scene in The Holiday signifies hope and then sets the genre for the film straight away. This is why it was on a close up at the beginning because the director obviously wanted the audience to know all about the romance. There are no fancy effects added on to the switching of the shots showing the vigorous changes and differences between different peoples love life which contrasts with the slow sensual movements of the camera.
This is also similar to the cinematography of Maid in Manhattan because in the beginning, there is a crane shot of the island of New York but then it flows into a birds eye view of all the major landmarks on the island. This just gives the audience a sense of the atmosphere if they have never been there before. Once the camera has appeared on a certain street, it zooms in to a specific apartment window highlighting its importance in the film. After the shot changes from outside to inside the apartment, we then learn that this is the leading ladies house.

The Woman in Black and Paranormal Activity (horror)

I have decided to compare these two horror films as they have the same intention of scaring and entertaining the audience but they both have different ways of presenting and interpreting horror.

Sound
During the clip, a melody from an old music box an be heard playing over the scene meaning that it is non-diegetic sound. This is parallel to the time period and the gender of children centred. The music gradually becomes louder throughout and this prepares the audience to brace themselves against an upcoming event that may disturb them. However this music stops when the children are about to jump out of the window and this signifies that the disturbing event has arrived. After, a woman screams and we can hear a distinct banging of a drum about three times in a row. This shocks the audience each time and could also symbolise that the Woman in Black has taken three more lives.
On the other hand, for Paranormal activity, there is no non-diegetic sound to symbolise the realism in the film. There is only speech and the natural creaking of people walking around a house, nothing fake to it and this is parallel to the genre as it's kind of a documentary of someone's life and findings.

  Mise-en-scene
The costume used in The Woman in Black reflects the time period and the wealth of each individual character. For example, the girls have very pretty lacy dresses but the fact that they wear aprons over the top shows the audience that they come from a working class family and that they are expected to help out. The dolls and toys involved in the scene represent the most horror as many people in the audience will have a particular phobia of them and this then will create fear within the each person making the film all the more relevant. Also the use of young girls present the theme of innocence and misfortune as no-one wants the children to get hurt at a such young and vulnerable age. Plus they contrast with the main genre of the supernatural and evil creating again a disturbing plot twist.
In Paranormal activity, they use real life surrounding that are accidentally caught on film than being put there deliberately. Also the natural daylight creates a mysterious feeling that the audience may actually refer to. In one shot, a dream catcher can be seen which shows again the contrast between good and evil but it could also show that they could be very superstitious people, hence the documentary that they're filming. We only get a quick view of the main character behind the camera and he is dressed in casual, normal clothing symbolising again the reality of the documentary then causing the audience to naturally relate the films events to their own lives.

Editing
As we flow into the first scene, we see that the shot fades up from black. This links to the title and creates the feel of evil and mystery as you cannot see through the black darkness. Also many audience members may have a phobia of darkness again stimulating a natural fear making this film all the more interesting. The change between shots is slow and methodical connecting with the music and gives the sense of a sleepy lullaby and this is appropriate for the events happening in the shot because children can be seen playing in a bedroom and we normally relate to singing lullaby's to children before they go to sleep. This then foreshadows that something bad could happen for example: the death of the girls.
In Paranormal Activity, we start off with an interference shot which only normally happens when there are supernatural beings present. This foreshadows what might happen later on and it just makes the genre even clearer to the audience. The camera is handheld and we can tell this by the shots being unfocused and wobbly compared to the fake smooth shots used in other films. This again highlights the reality of the film.

Cinematography
To start off with, the shots are slow and in time with the music symbolising the innocence. The match on actions bring the audiences focus into particular movements for example when the girls are walking on their dolls or dropping cups. The zoom into the window suggests it's importance in the scene and again when zooms are used, all the audiences attention will be centred to where the camera is zooming into.
The camera in Paranormal Activity is constantly used in a point of view shot and there is no other cinematography used except for the jump shots which show that the guy with the camera is an amateur and again gives a sense of realism.

The Dark Knight analysis (thriller)

For one of my film analyses, I have chosen the popular sequel- The Dark Knight. Again I have focused on the four key areas of study.

Sound

At first, when the company logos are being presented, there is silence. This creates an eerie atmosphere and it intrigues the audience to watch on and find out what’s going to happen. Soon after, the faint sound of violin picking can be heard which gradually becomes louder creating tension and then leading into the sudden surprise of the first shot. There is quiet ambient sound which shows the audience the whereabouts of the film and this creates the feel of realism. When the characters are preparing to rob the bank, there is the kind of sound that is normally used for slow motion shots suggesting that these actions are practised and have been perfected. When the guns are shot inside the bank, the non-diegetic sound effects again create the feel of realism and tension between each character.

Mise-En-Scene

All of the robbers are dressed in normal clothing of the era suggesting that they are of normal working class and there is nothing special about them as they blend in with the surroundings at the rest of the public. However, when the camera climbs up to their faces, we can see that each of the thugs are wearing clown masks. This plays on some people’s fear of clowns suggesting that the group want to have all the power when they are robbing the bank. Plus, the masks are obviously hiding their faces suggesting their mysterious past and maybe the fact that they have something to hide. On the other hand, the business men and women are wearing suits or appropriate dressing showing their wealth and class compared to those of the public and the group of thugs. There is low-key lighting for most of the clip suggesting the evil taking over Gotham City but there is high-key lighting in the hallway of the bank showing the hope emitting from one of the key businessmen who shoots at two of the criminals.

Editing

At the beginning, before the company logo’s come on screen, there is a fade up from black again creating the feeling of mystery and tension. Also the shots are quiet and jumpy to show the intensity and when the shot changes become more common, it shows the build-up of tension and maybe giving the hint to the audience that something important is going to happen.

Cinematography

Once the shot has arrived of the building, the camera starts to zoom in, using a crane shot, into a specific window showing its importance in the first scene. Many tracking shots and crane shots are used to show the dominance of criminals in Gotham City.

Red Dragon Analysis

For our second analysis,we watched the opening of the popular Brett Ratner film, Red Dragon. As with Se7en, we focused on specific points like Sound, Mise-en-scene, Editing and Cinematography.

Sound
The first sound that we hear, comes from an orchestra. This diegetic sound matches the mystery and wealth of our main character. It's pace is parallel to the intensity of the scene and clashes with the slow close ups of Hannibal preparing the audience for whatever may happen next. The sound bridges that connect each scene together make the opening flow instead of stopping and starting for every new scene. This gives the film an eerie atmosphere as the audience can hear what's happening but they are blind to what is really going on. When we move to the next scene with Hannibal in his house along with guests, we can hear ambient sound which is classical music again adding to the wealth and age of Hannibal. However this also intensifies the creepiness in the atmosphere as the audience know who Hannibal is but his guests are totally unaware.

Mise-En-Scene
The lighting starts off with being a bright golden glow suggesting the wealth of everyone in the shot however when we close up on Hannibal, the lighting changes to low-key signifying the evil inside him and the mystery of his past and how he became to be like this. The costumes that are used, for example: the suits and evening dresses all symbolize wealth and the class of each individual. Hannibal's house and the theater also support this. The facial expressions of Hannibal are meant to send a shiver down the audiences spine and the wince that he does towards a certain musician is like an animal hunting it's prey and with him being in the center of the frame, shows his importance in the film and in society.

Editing
As soon as the camera fades up from black, it begins to move slowly across the audience in the theater but as the music speeds up, so does the shot. This emphasizes the main character and his importance and the slow camera shot at the start shows that he is a thoughtful man before choosing his victim. This could again suggest that he is an animal hunting his prey which also helps the audience recognize the character.

Cinematography
Right at the start is an establishing shot helping the audience recognize the surroundings in the shot. In the house, a lot of tacking is used to suggest that Hannibal is an intimidating and powerful person, making everything and everyone obey his every move which is what the camera is doing here. On the other hand, two shots and eye line shots are use to show his equality to the rest of his rich friends when he is trying to be normal and calm.

Seven Analysis

We watched a short clip of the popular thriller, Seven, starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. While watching this, we ,made notes on the following key aspects: Sound, Mise-en-scene, Editing and cinematography. All of these are needed to make a movie spectacular.

Sound
In the beginning, when Freeman is alone in his apartment, you can hear slight traffic noises for example car engines and horns. Ambient sounds like these are used to create the affect of realism within a film. In this case, it shows that Freeman's character is based in or lives within a busy city. The lack of music creates a calming feel suggesting that Morgan Freeman's character is a peaceful man and the use of diegetic sounds like speech create a basic tone giving the characters that extra realism and mystery.

Mise-en-scene
During the clip, we see that Freeman's wearing a suit suggesting that he's a well paid man or that he has a high business status. Also we notice that he lives alone meaning that he's maybe not a very sociable man or,  judging by his chess set, that maybe he's married to his work and he enjoy's his bachelor life too much. The low-key lighting gives a hint of mystery to Freeman's character and this makes the audience become more engrossed in the film as they want to know more about him and his background.

Editing
Since this genre of film is quite realistic, not much editing is needed. The smooth switches of camera and scene give a calm and methodical feel giving a sense of continuity to the audience.

Cinematography
Low angle shots are used frequently to show power between Freeman and the general public but eye line shots are used constantly between Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt to show their equality between one another. Also hinting to the audience that they are now watching the films most important characters in action.