Wednesday 8 December 2010

Research on audience

U- Although it is impossible to predict what may upset a child, a 'U' film should be suitable for children aged 4 and over. They should be set within a positive moral frame work and any violence, threat or horror should be resolved by offering a reassuring counterbalance.

PG- Generally ok for viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. Children aged 8 and over should not be disturbed by a PG film. However parents are advised to consider whether or the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

12- Exactly the same criteria are used to classify a 12a and 12. The material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Content may upset children under the age of 12 or contain material of which parents find unsuitable.

12a- The 12a category exists only for cinema films, no one younger than 12 may see a 12a film in the cinema unless accompanied by an adult. It is the accompanying adults responsibility if they decide that the content is suitable for that particular child.

15- No one younger that 15 may see a '15' film in the cinema. No one younger that 15 may rent or buy a '15' rated video work.

18- No one younger than 18may see an '18' film in the cinema. No one younger that 18 may rent or buy and '18' rated video work.


After research into age ratings, i have discovered that most 'chick flick' based films are of the rating 12A. We have decided to make our film a 12A also, as we feel as though the content is suitable for children aged twelve and above.

Monday 22 November 2010

What i have learnt from the analysis of my chosen genre.

I have learnt that out titles need to reflect the genre of the film. If they were plain and boring it would not suit our film type. We need something girly, this way our audience will be prepared for the type of film. The first couple of minutes need to reveal the character to the audience. We need to tell the audience as much as we can about her without making it too complicated. It also needs to grab the audiences attention and get them interested in seeing the rest of the film.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Production Company Ideas- Name/Logo



Our initial idea was to make our production company something girlie, but then decided it wasn't imaginative enough so we put the first letter of our names together and tried to get something out of that.
Jess, Camilla, Becs and Yasmin.
We came up with jcby productions but then again decided it wasn't imaginative enough. We added the first letter to our second names into the equation, giving us JCBYOGRY.
We will continue to play with these letters until we find something we like.



After mind mapping a range of ideas- using the initial of our first name we got 'b jcy' like Be Juicy. We started to play around with the letters creating ourselves a logo.






We have three fonts for the Company logo. The b is Pristina, the jcy is Juice ITC and the word PRODUCTIONS is arial. 
























Yaz began to create a production logo using Photoshop CS5. She downloaded a font that she thought was appropriate for our genre/audience and used girly colours. After getting feedback from the rest of the group she started to make a second draft, making the background less busy. The colours have been washed down and a flowery design has been added to the corners. 































I created this on Adobe Premiere Pro CS4



The Pitch

We gave our pitch to a couple of teachers who gave us feedback afterwards. They thought the idea was good but we hadn't thought of the smaller detail. We needed character names and a title for our film. In terms of the pitch we should have introduced ourselves and told them what roles we were going to play when it came to the actual making of the film. This helped us when writing a more detailed pitch and will help us when delivering pitches in the future. 

Our opening sequence is going to be about a girl called Chandler who is totally oblivious to the fact that she is a loser. She is determined to become popular so decided to invent things. Determined to become the next big thing she invents the Cereal Cycle- a bike with a cereal bowl attached between the handle bars. Of course anybody with any common sense will know that the cereal will not stay inside the bowl whilst she is riding.
The opening scene will begin with her falling out of her bed and noticing her watch. She is late for school. Music kicks in as she gets ready. She hops around her room trying to get her socks on, and being her clumsy self knocks over numerous items too.
Chandler then runs and falls down her stairs. Out the front door she clambers onto her 'Cereal Cycle' beginning the journey to school. We see the cereal bowl invention in action and witness her falling head first off her bike. Arriving to school same time as the more popular girls Chandler tries to mimic them, failing epicly. 

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Production companies


Warner Bros. Pictures
American production company
The logo for this is very simple, the typography is very recognisable making the logo unique. It looks professional making it appealing to the audience. Something that looks unprofessional will not attract an audience. The font size is easy to read and the colours stand out. 



Universal Studios
American Production Company
Using the word 'universal' shows that the films this company make will appeal to a world wide audience. This logo will appeal to a variety of ages. The younger audiences will be attracted by the image of the world and the way in which the logo is animated, whilst the older audiences will like the simpleness and the way it looks very professional. 


Walt Disney Pictures
American Production and distribution company
The use of different tones of the same colour makes it look professional, just like the other two. The castle image reflects that of the one at Disney Land. It is very recognisable and you know that the film you are watching will be child friendly and most likely animated. It will again appeal to a wide audience with its use of pictures and text. The animation of the logo will appeal to the younger viewers. 

Monday 8 November 2010

Analysis of Chosen Genre



The title is very appealing to children, both female and male. The animation between the filmed shots connects to the tv series- making her a character that we already know a lot about.  It is also very stereotypical, the relationship between the brother and sister. You can tell that she is clumsy and maybe a little shy, but she lets herself go when she thinks she is alone. The camera movements are quick and the majority of them are mid shots. They are at fixed positions rather than hand held, and they are clean cut and professional looking.

Sunday 7 November 2010

Chosen genre

Our group has decided to create a opening sequence of a film with the genre 'Chick flick'.
We will analyse the beginnings of movies with the same genre and apply what we learn to our final piece.

Friday 5 November 2010

Analysis of Title Sequences.

Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging





The production company for this is Nickelodeon. The logo for this is easily recognisable, It sets you up for something child appropriate. Something that perhaps both genders could enjoy. Nickelodeon also have a t.v channel aimed primarily at children aged 6-14. The logo is brightly coloured and the text is white in colour. This stands out against the orange paint splatter. The logo is almost informal and a little more child friendly. Something highly smart and formal wouldn't appeal to kids and would suggest a more serious films with complicated story lines.
The film starts straight into the story line. The beginning is quite comical. The girl is attending a fancy dress party- something most of us would have experienced in one way or another- and she is dressed as an olive. You are introduced to one of the main characters- she seems like your typical teenager. The Character- Georgia is arguing with her dad whilst walking along. When she enters the room everybody is in your typical fancy dress. You can tell by the party's expression and reactions that this film is going to be based around school life and there may be conflict along the way.
An upbeat track starts playing and we track the character running back to her house where after great struggle with her costume she tears it off and starts destroying it. Having watched the first few minutes I would want to carry on watching it to see what happens and how she changes throughout the movie.



A Cinderella Story























After we have seen the logo for the production company- in this case 'warner Bro's'- we see the production company is a very magical font accompanied by a piece of music that sounds like a flute, it build up a bit introducing more instruments. Warner bro's is a well known company, it is easily recognisable. Its biggest most successful franchise would probably be Harry Potter. Most people are familiar with this and may choose to view other Warner Bros films.
The rest of the credits are in the same font as the Production company. We swoop over hills displaying a castle. A voice over starts with 'once upon a time..' The castle fades to a snow globe and the voice over refers to real life, bringing us back to reality.
The father and daughter are very close, doing pretty much everything together. There is no mother figure around. The little girl believes that she is very lucky and believes strongly in fairy tales. The voice over is explaining whats going on whilst filling us in on other things. Her dad falls in love again and they get marries, afterwards the girl and her father are reading a story in bed when things begin to shake.. an earthquake. The father goes to save his new wife and tells the little girl that he will be right back.
The movie begins almost straight away immediately drawing you in and connecting with the little girl. We want to watch on to see how she copes without her dad.. her best friend.


Girls Just Want to Have Fun.




The Lakeshore Entertainment logo appears. The font for this is simple and it is white in colour. The film starts almost straight away. We see a character who is very nervous and a little unsure of what to say. We then learn that she is a new student and infront of a class telling them about herself. Its something we would all dread. We also learn what her father does and the fact that she moves around alot. She tells us her hobbies and is particularly passionate about dancing. Its her dream- she wants to go to Chicago.
The titles come over the top of a clip of dance Tv. The programme she adores. They are orange in colour with a red border, they stand out from the background as this is particularly dark. They are at an angle, a little less serious than if they were straight. Dancing is fun, energetic.
From the first few minutes we can tell that the film will revolve around this girls dreams, and that she may have a few difficulties on the way.

Character Development.

Main Character resolve. 
This is the idea that the character either changes or it doesn't.
Take harry Potter. The character Harry doesn't change throughout the movie. Once he knows his special power he immediately sets out to find out who he is and how to get rid of Voldermort. His character is very determined and his mind is set. He wont change.

Main Character Approach. 
The character is either a be-er or a do-er. A do-er is somebody who addresses the situation physically, they try to accomplish their task by doing things. A be-er is somebody who prefers to work the situation out internally- they think about it.
It is possible to be both a do-er and a be-er, either approach will work to solve a problem.
Harry Potter is very much a do-er. He knows what he wants and he is very determined to succeed. Ron Weasley however is both. Where he would prefer to not be involved but when it actually comes to it, he is willing to do what is necessary.

Main Character Mental Sex. 
This is about ways of solving problems- much like a do-er or a be-er. There are two types of mental sex- Male or female.
Take a date- Male mental sex's would see the flowers, the money spent, the good food and the time you spend together all adding up to the moment you kiss. People with female mental sex's would see the combination of music, the atmosphere, the other persons behaviour and conversations you have.
Neither point of view is right or wrong, but one carries more weight for the character and affects how they perceive and decide things.

All these points helps add a sense of being to your character. It makes the character more believable when you know how they think, and the way they do things.

Monday 4 October 2010

Media Glossary

Sound
The Soundtrack- This is the music that is featured in the film.

The score is the piece of music that sets the scene, it is usually instrument based. 

Incidental music is background music that adds atmosphere. It may take the form of something as simple as a low, ominous tone suggesting an impending starting event, or, to enhance the depiction-advancing sequence.  

There is also the themes and stings, the Ambient sound, the dialogue, sound effects and Non-diagetic sounds.

Themes and Stings
Theme- A melodic, or sometimes a harmonic idea presented in a musical form. Think about the instruments used. 
Stings- Distinctive background music used to add emphasis to an important moment in a film or t.v programme. 

Ambient Sounds
These are the background noises that are present in a film. 

The dialogue
This sets the tone about the character. 

Sound Effects
These are used to make the scene more exciting and exaggerate the action. 

Non-diagetic Sounds
These are sounds that have been imported after the scene has been shot. This can include a voice over or music used to create a mood or manipulate emotions. 

Diagetic Sounds
 these are natural and have not been added to the shot. eg. The music from a car radio or dialogue. The radio sound make the scene more authentic and the dialogue progresses the narrative. 

If the sound is loud it could symbolise drama or anger. If there is silence it could represent peacefulness, isolation and loneliness.  Drama and violence adds tension. 

Pitch
High pitched sounds like symbols, electric guitar and strings could represent conflict, tension and anxiety. 
Low pitched sounds are more calming but can also be seen at threatening depending on the context. 

Most sound is called parallel sound or synchronous sound. This is sound that matches the visuals. 
Contrapuntal sounds offer an alternative reading. You don't expect the choices made, it doesn't match what's going on. 

Thursday 9 September 2010

Analysis of openings.


Toy Story




I like the beginning of this film because i think it appeals to all age groups. It shows the boy playing with his toys and taking it in turns to be each character. Its something we can all relate to, we would have all had toys that we played with to death. It also introduces the main characters- those being the toys that the film revolves around. The titles play over the film with a piece of music you associate Toy Story with. 'You've Got a Friend in Me'. The titles are white in colour with a dark shadow to it making it stand out from the background. The font is informal and fits the type of film its for well.
The Walt Disney logo is easily recognisable. You know instantly that the film will be child friendly and in most cases it will be animated and have an easy to understand plot. The font for 'Walt Disney' is almost magical and again is very recognisable to the production company. The castle behind the text is almost iconic to the company.





The Wedding Planner



You can instantly tell its going to revolve around love/relationships with the opening track. I love how the little girl is playing with her barbie and then it merges into real life. Its something most girls will remember doing when they were young. Women spend hours planning their weddings- its totally realistic.


Star Wars





I like the simplicity of the first few minutes. The theme tune is easily recognisable and everybody associates it with Star Wars. The text gives the audience something to do and keeps them entertained whilst setting the scene. The theme tune is punchy and keeps you aware of whats going on


Up- Pixar Movie





I really like the beginning of this movie, it tells us a lot about the characters. I like how it fast forwards through their lives and how the film begins nearer the end of his life rather than the beginning.The way the story is told really captures your attention, you want to know what happens to the old man and you want to see how he copes on his own after he looses his wife.


Jaws




I like this opening because it guides you through the ocean in the sharks prospective. You hear the theme tune immediately and it sets you up for the rest of the film. It flicks between the the sea and a beach party. You know that something is going to happen. When the two characters run off you know that they are in trouble as they are now isolated and away from the party. We don't meet any of the main characters and we don't see the shark.
You want to watch the rest of the film to see how they take the girls death and over come the shark problem.

Sunday 5 September 2010

The Descent


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaYw_4BtJbw

A couple of friends are seen being lowered into a cave via harness's before the menu screen appears. There is no music at this point, just the sound of water dripping and the odd scream or two. The screen remains black and a spotlight reveals credits. We are then taken to a family and group of friends white water rafting. The way its cut together makes us suspicious of what's going to happen. You have the characters panicked faces, the sound of only the waves and their screams, and two bystanders, a daughter and father. The group finish rafting and calming music starts up. There's some sort of discussion going on debating whether to go back to the hotel or stay to pack up. Two of the friends volunteer to stay letting the husband, wife and daughter go home.

Were joined in the car with the family and they're discussing a birthday party. The concerned wife asks her husband if he's OK. To which he replies 'I'm fine'. The camera is placed behind his shoulder at this point. He looks at his wife and we see him swerve into a car coming the other way. Poles from the top of the opposing car slide off the roof, through the windscreen and into the driver. This is totally unexpected and I personally did not see this coming.
The screen turns black with just enough light letting us see a little girls face blowing out candles on a cake... a flash back?

We join the wife in hospital as she wakes up, she takes a look around her and detaches herself from the machinery. Stumbling out of her room and into the corridor she finds herself alone. 'Jessie' she says, 'Jessie' now louder. She looks straight at the camera and her face becomes pained. Its about now that she turns and runs.. and about now that I realise, I might need a pillow to get me through the next thirty seconds or so.

She is still running and the lights begin to turn off. She runs faster and the music builds up.. she runs straight into her friend who tells her 'they're gone'. They collapse onto the floor in tears and suddenly the corridor becomes busy again.

The screen is filled with the words 'The Descent' and the opening scene is over.

The first five minutes or so don't give much away in terms of the rest of the film. You wouldn't know that they go on a daredevil caving holiday, and you wouldn't know that after a rock fall, they get trapped and hunted down by human predators. Without reading the back of the case I wouldn't have had a clue what to expect.

Produced by Neil Marshall
Production Companies- Celador Films/ Northmen Productions/ Pathe
Budget- $3,500,00
Opening Weekend- $8,411
Overall- $13,361

The Gift

The music begins and its not your typical horror movie theme tune, its almost classical. A series of thunder sounds over lap the tune and we know that it most definitely IS a horror movie.
The camera takes us on a journey through the woods. yes.. that's right, the dark misty woods with not a soul in sight. We start to relax as the names appear and then... a flash of somebody lying on the ground appears and disappears. The camera swoops over the lake in the woods many times and I can only imagine that its going to be the centre of the film, the place where it all happens. In between the lake swooping and the murky forest are flashes of tarot cards. The name of the title suggests that the main character has some kind of gift and is going to come across a horrible fortune.

Were taken to a town where children, supposedly walking to school- are dressed up warmly in clothes that are not very modern to us. You can instantly tell that it is not a very recent film.

Anne- the lady who reads fortunes is a widow with children and earns her money by reading cards. Her first customer is kitted out in black clothes and a big black round pair of glasses. The pair talk and Anne tells the customer that she knows about her abusive partner. The lady takes off her glasses and reveals a throbbing purple bruise.

From the first few minutes or so I already have a sense of whats going to happen. I can see the lake being a common setting in this film and Anne being the vulnerable main character. She reads fortunes and one of her customers escapes to her to hide from her abusive partner. Anne will get into some sort of trouble with the partner and secrets about him will reveal themselves.

Directed by Sam Raimi.
Production companies- Lakeshore Entertainment/ Alphaville films
Budget- $10,000,000
Opening weekend- $11,827
Overall- $11,994,719