My film course work - aims and context

I have chosen to create a film.

• The film will be apart of the horror genre
• The target audience is people aged 16 to 18 years old

Some conventions I'll use:

• low key lighting
• a victim(s)
• a weapon
• evil (villain)
• haunted house
• low angles & high angles
• the feeling of being trapped
• non-diegectic sound (low pitched music)
• objects moving around
• framing people in mirrors
• close-ups

Section A - question one - Mindmap

My case studies

US blockbuster - Captain America: The Winter Soldier
www.scoop.it/t/

Tagline: In heroes we trust
Director: Anthony Russo || and Joe Russo 
The directors have also directed Welcome to Collinwood, Community and You,me and Durpree
Writers:
Captain America - Chris EvansStars: 
Nick Fury - Samuel L. Jackson
Black Widow - Scarlett Johnsson 
Alexander Pierce - Robert Redford
Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier - Sebastian Stan
Sam Wilson/Falcon - Anthony Mackie 
Marie Hill - Cobie Smulders
Peggy Carter - Hayley Atwell
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-fi and Comic-book]
Box office: 
Budget - $170,000,00
Opening weekend - $95,023,721
Gross - $259,746,958
Production company: Marvel Entertainment and Marvel Studios
Certificate: PG -13 because of scenes of violence, gun play and action throughout the film.
Marketing: teaser at the end of each film, poster, trailer 
Release date: 4th April 2014
Reviews: 

UK production - Spectre
Director: Sam Mendes 
The director has won an Oscar and also directed these films: America beauty, Road to Perdition, Revolutionary road and also Skyfall.
Writers: 
John Logan 
Neal Purvis 
Robert Wade
Jez Butterworth
Ian Fleming
Budget: $245,000,000
Stars:
James Bond - Daniel Craig
Blofeld - Christoph Waltz
Dr. Madeleine Swann - Léa Seydoux 
M (Gareth Mallory) - Ralph Fiennes
Lucia Scriarra - Monica Bellucci
Q - Ben Whishaw  
Eve Moneypenny - Naomie Harris
Mr Hinx - Dave Bautista
Genre: Action, Adventure and Thriller
Box office: 
Budget - $245,00,000
Opening weekend - $70,403,148
Gross - $176,837,257
Production company: Columbia Pictures.
Certificate: PG-13 due to scenes of violence.
Marketing: posters, trailers
Release date: 6th November 2015
Reviews:

Low budget American film

The Shining

This film is from two genres so it's a hybrid film; the two genres of this film is horror and fantasy. 

This is the scene where Wendy goes to confront Jack in the main hallway of the Hotel that Jack is looking after until May. 

Firstly the camera pans slightly and tracks him until he until the chair; this shot could be a Point of view shot as the camera is quite close up to Jack and that was about the distance Wendy was away from Jack. The colour of Jack's jacket, which is red, shows that Jack is dangerous as red is used a horror convention because it represents blood and danger however it also represents love too and this could be the love that Jack once showed to Wendy before he came into this hotel. Then the camera goes to Wendy and the camera is a close up and I can see the reaction on her face and the panic in her eyes; the close up also shows the baseball bat too and that shows that Wendy is taking precaution when she is round the Hotel and when she's around Jack.

In the background I can hear non-diegetic sound; the music is low pitched (a horror convention) the music creates suspension and tension. But also you can hear the sound of water droplets, this is like the film  'The Decent', as the sound of water droplets is a horror convention because when I heard them they created a sense of claustrophobia and it made me feel trapped even though I was in a classroom with people the sound made me feel slightly scared.

In the camera shot it's always only one person in the frame and this show the distance that is now between Wendy and Jack; Wendy does not want to be near jack and she can tell the he has changed now because of the way he is behaving now. But this is a point of view shot; using this point of view shot makes me feel like I am in the situation. I believe the way Jack is behaving is manipulative as when he is talking to Wendy I can tell that he knows what Wendy wants to speak about however the way he is talking to her suggest that he is manipulating her into not saying anything.

When Jack starts to walk towards Wendy it seems as if Jack is a predator and Wendy is the prey as the look on Jack's face is murderous and he is stalking towards her like the way a predator would do to it's preys however he is walking slowly towards her and it seems like he enjoys the panic and fear that Wendy is showing him.

The editing keeps cutting between Jack and Wendy however this time Danny is shown and shot were he is shown it is a reaction shot; it is a  reaction shot as Danny knows what is happening in the main Lobby because of his abilities and the look on his face shows disbelief and shock. This shot is a close up however the camera zooms in on Danny's face.

Then the hallway is shown again. This hallway is shown multiple times and every time it is shown it has a lot of blood rushing towards the camera. Blood was used as it could represent the blood that was spilled from the victims that were killed at the hotel before Jack, Wendy and Danny arrived. Blood is a horror convention and is used through out many horror films like 'My Bloody Valentine'. Blood is used in horror films as it shows death and blood can as make people feel sick and uneasy by the slight of it... Also then after the hallway shot there is a shot of a white door with the writing 'red rum' and this seems to me to be written in blood and the red of the blood and the white of the door contrasts as the colours do not go together; plus the camera is at a low angle and this shows that this word has importance I can tell this also as Danny says it repeatedly too.

When the camera goes back to Jack and Wendy it looks as if they have swapped positions as before Jack had the windows in the background but now it's Wendy and they have swapped where they were. The windows that I can see in the background shows a good use of framing as then I look closely at the windows I can see a cross formed; because the hotel is old the windows are shaped differently and I can see multiple crosses. The crosses that are shown symbolises God and all things holy.

Also when the camera is on Jack I can tell that Wendy's fear amuses him as each time the camera is on him he has a smirk on his face also when Wendy is trying to tell Jack she believes that Danny should go to a doctor Jack repeats and tries to imitate Wendy by putting on the same voice as her and being a copy cat; this shows conflict in the film between the two characters as Jack does no agree with Wendy. Also Jack always seems to act quite violent toward Wendy and during this seen Jack's voice shows this as his voice keeps rising and it's dripping with sarcasm.
I feel as if Jack believe she is wrong by caring for Danny and I think he believes Wendy is beneath him as through out the whole film there is a lot of sexism towards Wendy and Jack keeps referring to Danny as 'a son of a bitch' which implies that Danny's mother, Wendy,is a bitch.

When Jack's talks about his responsibilities for looking after the Hotel it seems as if Jack is now becoming the care taker that I heard about at the being of the film as he is becoming stressed and murderous towards Wendy. Also at this point I think that Jack is treating Wendy as if she is a child.

Even though the job Jack is doing is looking after a hotel he acts if so the hotel is his life and acts as if something bad was to happen to the hotel then his life would be over and this seems like Jack is over-reacting however when I watched the whole film I can tell why this is; this is because Jack has been the care taker of the hotel for so long and he wants to keep the hotel's legacy up and make sure it's to it's best standard this shows that Jack is willing to do anything and give up anything for this hotel.

Then when Wendy is struggling to climb the stairs it seems that she's now the one in power as she is on higher ground compared to Jack even though the panicked expression on her face shows other wise the panic look on Wendy's face shows the true terror she is feeling and how threatened she feels as she keeps swinging the bat to try and keep Jack away. 

When Jack tries to get the bat away from Wendy he calls her nice names like 'Darling' and even though this is what people who love each other call each other I can tell by the look on his face he does not really mean it and this is said because it lures you in and it makes you feel a false sense of security and that scares people. This is when Wendy then manages to hit Jack and makes him fall back down the stairs and knocks him out...

My film analysis

My group's intentions for a film was to make a short thriller piece for the ages 15 and over; and for all genders. The intention was for our short thriller piece was to encaptivate the audience and grab their attention but also our group tried to create some tension and mystery so then the audience would want to watch the rest of the short film to find out what is going to happen.


The short thriller film did it's purpose which was to create mystery. Our intentions were achieved by the use of the camera, the way we positioned it and the angles, but also the acting of Beth. These are what made this short thriller piece good. 

The short film was shot by myself; the camera angles I chosed to use went well with a thriller type film. I used panning from right to left at the start and during the short film I used a tracking too. Most of the film was filmed hand held except a few parts such as the eye scene which was film with the camera on a tripod... 

These clips were good however to improve the filming I could have been steadier with the camera in certain parts, such as the beginning, like when we enter the bathroom the camera work was shaky and it could have been steadier. Also when we entered the bathroom I accidentally got the tripod leg in the frame, this could have been avoided but me and my group failed to notice this until we were editing the film.

When it came to editing it was good as the people who edited the film,Beth and Elisha, managed well to make it all come together. They cropped out the parts which we needed. Also they chose some non-diegetic sounds, like the soundtrack, that fitted in with this shot thriller film and the soundtrack made the film better.

Then when it came to the acting everything was okay until the ending when we see the girl being murdered by a man... The acting was not good compared to when it was only Beth acting. The person who played the murder did not put that much effort into the acting which means the film does not look great all the way through; however the acting that was done by Beth was great and she did well.

Apart from them few flaws the short thriller film that we we had created looks great for a first try and we now know which parts we need to improve on.

The horror genre

Horror films 

Horror is a genre that is made to create many different emotions amongst the audience. The emotions that horror films can make a person feel consists of panic, dread and fear. Directors do this to their audience to get a strong reaction; to get the reactions they want directors tend to play with emotions by messing with peoples worst nightmares and fears. 

 Horror movies often strike panic and fear into people and keep people on the edge of their seats as these films are most often unsettling. 

Horror films tend to centre themselves around a certain evil force, person or event or they can focus on evil beings/ creatures such as monsters like vampires, ghosts or zombies to scare the audiences. 

The first ever known horror film, only around two minutes long and it was made by an imaginative French filmmaker named Georges Melies, the short horror film was titled Le Manoir Du Diable. The film was made in 1896. The film's title translated to The Devil's Castle/The Haunted Castle this film contains familiar elements of later horror and vampire films such as a flying bat, a medieval castle, a cauldron, a demon figure plus skeletons, ghosts, and witches and also a crucifix to dispatch with evil. 

 Some well known horror films: 

1) Psycho - Psycho is a 1960 America thriller horror film that is directed by Alfred Hitchcock. 

2) Nightmare on elm street - Nightmare on elm street is a 1984 American horror film that was directed by Wes Craven. 

3) Chainsaw massacre - Chainsaw massacre is a 1974 film that was directed by Tobe Hooper. 

4) The Exorcist - The Exorcist was released in 1973 and was directed by William Friedkin. 

5) Poltergeist - Poltergeist was released in 1982 and it was directed by Tobe Hooper. 

Techniques  use in Would you rather... 

Horror movies such as Would you rather used a lot of low key lighting which is used to create darkness and shadows on certain characters, such as the evil person like Shepard Lambrick and his son Julian, plus using low key lighting it makes a person feel suspicion as what is to happen next; for example at the start of the film when we are introduced to Shepard Lambrick he is sitting in the corner of the zoom which is darker then the rest of the room.  

The film Would you rather used some mid shots however when we see Shepard Lambrick at the start he was always on his own in the corner in less light compared to Iris. In this film the shots are mostly mid shots as they are all around the table. 

Mise-en-scéne plays a part in every film but in the film we can see who is more important and who has more power by the way they are placed. Such as Shepard Lambrick and his son are placed at each end of the table, these are seen like the most powerful positions, also Mr Lambrick and his butler Dr. Barden  stands up a lot so he's seen in power as he is above everyone else that is sitting at the table. 

Something else that Would you rather does is use non-diegectic sounds, like  soundtracks, these are used to create suspension and tension in the film. It keeps the audience on the edge and caught up in the film to what's going to happen next. 

Also the camera seems to pans whenever he moves around the dinning room to capture the action and to see the characters that are still left in the 'game'. Also when Iris gets out the room the camera tracks her actions when she is running about the mansion. 

Techniques used in other horror films... 

Another lighting affect a horror movie could use is bottom lighting, this lighting has a scary affect and it can show the audience that a character is evil. 

Another technique that is used in horror films that is to with the camera angle. In horror movies the camera angle could be at a Dutch angle which is also known as a oblique angle too this is to show that things are unbalanced in the world the characters are in. 

My favourite Summer 2015 film...

My favourite film from the summer of 2015 was Avengers - age of Ultron. This film is apart of the Marvel universe franchise. I enjoyed this film like the other films apart of the franchise; the reasons for this is because I enjoy action movies such as this because they put you on edge as they are suspenseful and they keep me engrossed in what is happening on the big screen what help me keep engrossed is the fight scenes that occur as to me they show the difference between good and bad and how good will always triumph, unlike other films such as romantic movies which I believe to be boring. This film also has some humorous part in it too.  

Also I enjoy the plot of the film and the sub-plots too; plus I like the development of the new characters and the way they are introduced to the film each one is introduced to use is different way but each way represents what power each person holds. 

Plus the cast of Avengers - age of Ultron made the film even better even with the new people. The actors and actresses did a great job with the roles. 

The cast consists of:
  James Spader as Ultron
   Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
   Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
   Chris Hemsworth Thor 
  Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk 
  Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow 
  Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye 
  Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver
   Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch 
  Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury 
  Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill 
  Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes 
  Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon 
  Paul Bettany as Vision 
  Thomas Kretschmann as Baron Wolfgang von Strucker 

Key aspects of Avengers - Avengers age of Ultron 

The first key aspect of the film is when we first see a new characters that has never been seen in the movies before these are the twins, Scarlet witch and Quicksliver, this is key as they become important as the film progresses as they develop we see some power they hold. At this point we also see Loki's staff which is important to the film as it is key and it foreshadows thing that are later on to happen in the film. 

Another key aspect of this film is when we are introduced to another main character which is Ultron. The way that Ultron is introduced we can automatically see that he had evil intentions; we can see this as when we first see him Ultron comes out the shadows, it foreshadows events to come later on in the film as we can see Ultron shows darkness. At this time we find out what his main mission is which is to destroy the Avengers. 

The next key aspect is when the Scarlet witch finds out Ultrons true intentions; these intentions were not only to destroy the Avengers but to destroy the world this is when we see a turning in the movie as we see the twins change their minds. We see that they no longer want to work with Ultron but instead against him and instead with the Avengers. 

Another key part is when we see Vision who is another key character who we get introduced to in the film, he is created to help and this is key to the film. 

Another important part is in the fight scene when all the Avengers come together because we see they are a team and that good can triumph. However the last key point happens around this point as one of the characters dies and we see the true bonds between the different characters in the film.