Certificate Research

For our film we must decide what age rating we should have, age ratings range from U to 18

 U (Universal) films are suitable for all viewers, some examples are The Little Mermaid, The Lego Movie and Beauty and The Beast.

PG (Parental Guidance) films are permitted for any age but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children (under 8). May contain mild language and sex/drug references. May contain very moderate violence. Some examples are, Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Legend of the Guardians.

12A films are unsuitable for young children and cinemas are only allowed to let in children under the age of 12 if they are accompanied by an adult aged 18 and over. These films may contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, infrequent strong language and moderate violence, sex references and nudity. Some examples are, The Hunger Games, Skyfall, Godzilla.

12 films are for people aged 12 and over. Usually 12A rated films are given a 12 certificate when released on DVD. The guidelines are the same for 12A films. Some examples are Les Misérables, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Lord of the Rings.

15 films are only suitable for those aged 15 or over. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, regular use of foul language and limited use of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may be shown if discreet and justified by context. Some Examples are, Ted, Mama and The Heat.

18 Films are only suitable for people aged 18 and over. Films under this category do not have limitation on the foul language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and explicit sex references along with detailed sexual activity are also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context. Very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence is usually permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is eroticized or excessively graphic. Some examples are, The Wolf of Wall Street, Evil Dead and Spring Breakers.

Because our film is going to be a drama/thriller, there will be moderate violence and some mature themes so therefore it won't be suitable for young audiences but 15 and 18 will probably be too high and will lessen the range of audiences for viewing our film. I think our film will probably fit under the 12 category because that if where most dramas are placed, however perhaps in cinemas the film could be a 12a because most of the violence will be moderate and a lot of action/drama films are 12a's in cinemas, such as The Hunger Games and Skyfall which are both quite dramatic and violent. 

Font Research

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

For the inter-titles, we have decided to have capital letters and also a plain straight, this is so it is easy to see but also seems loud and urgent, therefore adding to the intensity of the film. However, for the main title, I have been looking at distorted text to maybe show that it is quite disorientated.

Tranquila

Hacked Font

Nervous Font 

Windy Day Font

My favourite's are Hacked and Nervous because it looks quite technical and distorted. It also makes it seem more dramatic and intense. Also the name is relates to the font because it is quite a strange concept and therefore it is unclear why the sufferers feel this way. These fonts are from the website Dafont and they could be good to use in our film. We may also do one word in red and one in white to make it stand out but also to fit the conventions as you can see below, red and white are popular in drama/thrillers.

This font from Taken 2 and SE7EN looks a bit damaged and distressed which links to the story line. This makes me want to use one of the 'distressed' and 'distorted' font.

Title- STOCKHOLM SYNDROME.

We have decided on the name "Stockholm Syndrome". 

Stockholm Syndrome, or capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with them.

We could then make a twist on the plot throughout the film, such as making the 'evil person' someone that the girl knows or loves and therefore isn't running away from them but perhaps running to them?

Institution Research

I looked at similar films and Taken was distributed by 20th Century Fox, so this could be the company that we use for our film as it obviously makes the type of film we want to make. 20th Century Fox are linked a variety of films so our genre could fit. 

Ransom is another film similar to ours, this film was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures. However, we can't use this company as it no longer exists and Walt Disney Pictures is in it's place, and they usually make kids films, this does not link to our genre so we won't use that company.

Ransom was produced by Touchstone Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Icon Productions. Icon usually makes dramas and thrillers which is similar to our film. A lot of Touchstone films are dramas and quite dark themes, so this could be good for our film too. Imagine usually makes more upbeat and some kids films so this may not be the right company for us.

The Hunger games was distributed by Lionsgate Films, this is mostly known for action and dystopian themes so this could be good for our opening. The film was produced by Color Force, which is an independent company that usually makes movies out of books, since our film isn't a book, we may not use this company. 

The production company TriStar Pictures would be a great production company to use for our film as in the past couple of years they have produced many thrillers and horrors so this means that they are focused in that area. A film called The Call was produced by them and after looking into this film I have discovered that it is about a teenager being kidnapped which is what our film is based on, therefore this institution would be best as they have experience in creating thrillers, horrors and dramas.

Our final choice for institution is TriStar.

Location Research

Our location for our film is Nonsuch Park. We have chosen this because we wanted to find a forest that was really secluded so we could easily shoot our film without interruptions. 

We want to find an area with lots of trees so that we can get shots of Anna running from behind trees and the leaves will be effective when we film Anna running through the leaves and mud on the ground. 

The trees will have no leaves on them at this time of year so it will make the setting more eery and creepy which is what we are going for. 

This park will be easy to get to for all of us so we will be able to return any time if we need to film any additional footage. 

Our alternative was Richmond Park however this would be harder to get to and we also don't know the area that well so it may be time consuming to find an area where we can film. Therefore, Nonsuch would be a better choice for us.



Our other location will be a classroom at school and this is where the flashback will take place and when we see where the girl is running from. We need to make sure the classroom doesn't look like a classroom and more like a small room or cupboard, this will create a more realistic environment and make the film look more authentic.

Non Copyright Music Analysis

Music is very important in films, especially in the opening two minutes, as it is needed to set the mood for the rest of the film. Our film is an action/drama so we need to show this genre by using suspenseful tracks that build tension but perhaps are eery at the same time.

http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400041

This song builds in suspense and gets faster and more exciting. However, the first half is a bit slow so if we were going to use this, we might have to just use the middle or end as it gets louder and faster in the second half of the music. It fits well with our theme of action and drama so that is good. 

https://ia600408.us.archive.org/22/items/EerieCreepyAndScaryMusicForYourScoresDvds/DvdThemeMusic-chasePulse.mp3

This one is quite creepy and so builds tension and suspense whilst the girl is running through the forest. However, it doesn't really fit with the 'running' part as it is generally quite slow and doesn't get faster as it goes on which is vital to what we are looking for.

https://ia600408.us.archive.org/22/items/EerieCreepyAndScaryMusicForYourScoresDvds/DvdThemeMusic.eerie.creepy.rightBehindYou.mp3

This song is also creepy and suspenseful and builds an eery atmostphere. It also has breathing noises that could help us create the illusion that someone is chasing the girl which is good and because we are hoping to film on a foggy day it adds to the mystery and distorted environment. The only downside is that it doesn't have much beat to it so it doesn't fit with the running element in our film, however, if we find another running song we could link these two tracks together as I really like the creepiness of this track. Alternatively, we could use this in the flashback scene, which is supposed to be really creepy.

http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300013 

HITMAN

This is my favourite one to use because it is suitable for a chase scene because of it's drama and suspense. Although it is less eery than the others, the main thing we want to show is the tension of the girl running and show that it is a 'chase scene' as if she is running away and I think that this music shows that perfectly.

Analysis of opening 2 minutes of Les Misérables

• Les Misérables is a 2012 British epic romantic musical historical drama film produced by Working Title Films and distributed by Universal Pictures.

• The film starts underwater with telling us the back story. It gives us the year and what has happened before we join the story. As the text fades away we hear a muffled drum beat. We then see what looks like a french flag as we get nearer to the stop of the water. When we reach the top there are lots of bubbles and the first thing we see when we get out of the water is a ship that looks like it has crashed. 

• The music is very loud when we come out of the water, there are trumpets which represents an alarm of war or a command to march. It is very dark and gloomy which could show us that it is night or to represent that it is going to be depressing and dismal. The waves are crashing up against the boat which could show that it is stormy, which is pathetic fallacy, foreshadowing something bad will happen. We then see the whole of the ship and at the other side are men pulling the boat with ropes. The music seems to be coming to a stop. The men grunt as they pull the rope to show that the work is hard, also they are getting hit with the waves constantly so we get the feeling that this is not voluntary. 

• The camera zooms in to the men and they all look tired, dirty and angry. From a worms eye view we see someone standing above the men, this is to show his authority over the other men. The men have chains on them which could suggest that they are slaves or prisoners. The men start singing, “look down.” which is like an order that they have been told to follow, though one man keeps looking up and this could show that he is disobeying. The slave is dressed in rags, has a long beard and dirty face and the officer is wearing blue which connotes to royalty and looks clean and well presented.

• The main is told to ‘retrieve the flag’ and as he picks up the flag pole the music gets louder and more prominent, this could be to show the strength of the man. The French flag is dragged through mud which could show us that bad things may happen in France in the rest of the film. 

Analysis of opening 2 minutes of Sweeney Todd

• Sweeney Todd is a drama, horror and musical. It is about the story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a. Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop in London, which is the base for him and his companion Mrs. Lovett's sinister plans. 

• This opening title sequence is great because it creates a creepy atmosphere which creepy music and the dark imagery. It sets up the rest of the film, showing that it will be gory. 

• It starts with showing the Dreamworks logo, with some creepy organ music in the background, foreshadowing something frightening is going to happen. Then on a black screen, "Watner Bros. Pictures and Dreamworks Pictures present" comes up. The font is a gothic style. There is quite, eery music in the background. The thunder and lightning is pathetic fallacy, therefore showing that the film is not going to be happy and something bad will happen. The camera then takes us to the sky, where there is thunder and lightning and "A Parkes/MacDonald production."appears. It then moves down to show roof tops and chimneys, where "A Zanuck Company production" appears in the same gothic font.

• We go to one window where we see a chair with blood spattered on the window. This shows that a death will occur. There is also a chair in the middle of the room, and "A Tim Burton Film" appears over the chair. The next shot is of a picture on a wall and it looks like a silhouette of a woman but the picture frame looks old and rusty to suggest that something may have happened to this woman. The actors credits start with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman etc. 

• We then start to follow a trail of blood as it goes through cogs, then under the floor where the screen goes dark before "Sweeney Todd" comes down from the top of the screen in red, which symbolises blood and evil. Underneath in white comes "The demon barber of Fleet Street". This shows us further that there will be evil in the film. 

• The rest of the opening shows the gore and blood that the rest of the film will hold, including 'meat' coming out of a meat grinder looking like worms and then it follows the trail of blood going through the house and sewers. There is also fire and pies which could leave the audience confused at why there is food in such a dirty place.

• The music in this opening is mostly short high string notes which some booming drums and occasionally trumpets when the title is shown or when the blood reaches the sewers. It gives a tense feeling and sounds quite scary as if it is getting faster and louder. 

• Even though the opening looks animated it still creates a creepy atmosphere very effectively.

Analysis of opening 2 minutes of The Proposal

The Proposal is a romantic comedy made in 2009.

• The film starts with the producers logos, Touchstone and Mandeville Films.

• The non-digetic music used in the opening scene is cheery and upbeat which shows us that the genre is going to be happy or funny and steers us away from horror or sci-fi genres. The first scene is someone walking through a forest which could be seen as quite scary but the music makes us have a different view on the genre of the film.

• The shot then pans out to show that the forest is just on a screen and we see a woman exercising and reading manuscripts. The fact that she is watching a forest shows that she wants to be in nature and probably lives in the city. We see this when the shot keeps panning out and we see buildings in the window.
  
• The woman seems to be organised and determined because she is on time and lives a healthy lifestyle.

• We then get introduced to her opposite, the male lead. The diegetic sound of a beeping car wakes him up which carries on the idea of them both living in a big city. He is late from waking up so he is the opposite to the female lead who is organised. This already shows us that these two characters will end up not getting on, because they are totally different. In addition, the male lead swears whilst the female remains professional.

• The females kitchen is also very tidy, whilst the male's home is messy with magazines lying around. This goes with gender stereotypes where women are the more domestic gender. The kitchen also looks very expensive which shows that she is successful.

• We then get our first taste of what city this is set in as we see busy streets with yellow taxis, signifying that we are in New York. This fits with the romantic comedy cliché as they are usually set in a big city.

• Meanwhile, the intertext is shown over the action but near the bottom so we are not distracted from the story that is forming.

• The male lead goes into a coffee shop and we see that a girl in the shop is flirting with him and obviously thinks he is attractive as we see later when the girl has written her number on the cup.

• The camera shot follows the characters around showing how fast moving the city is and how they must rush to catch up. It is effective because we are following their lives.

• We see that both of the people work in a publishing house, this shows that they work together and that is how the two characters meet. The male lead is rushing about with two coffee's. 

• The male bumps into someone spilling a coffee, he shouts 'sweet jesus' which shows that he is probably stressed and his job is very demanding.

• When the female comes in, it it obvious that many people do not like her or are scared of her as a people steer clear of her path and there are messages sent around saying "It's here." There is diegetic sounds of the messages popping up to make the mood lighthearted.

• Finally, we see how the two characters know each other, the male being the females secretary, which challenges gender stereotypes as usually the men are the boss and the women being the secretaries. 
  

• The two characters are polar opposites and the male seems to want to have a real conversation with the female but she seems to distracted by her work, which foreshadows that later on she may look away from her work and see that she likes the man. The male seems clumsy, awkward and perhaps unlucky, whilst the females collected, determined and serious.

This is an effective opening as we can clearly see the characters' personality, for our film we should use some of these techniques to show the audience what our characters are like and how they represent different social groups.

Analysis of opening 2 minutes of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

• Harry Potter is a feature film series based on the Harry Potter novels by author J. K. Rowling. The Goblet of Fire is the fourth film out of eight.

•  The film starts with the Warner Brothers’ logo coming out of the darkness. The logo looks shiny silver and is reflecting smoke and mist, we edge nearer and nearer to the logo. This gives a scary feel as if something is going to be behind the logo and is fast approaching. The music is bold and deep with small sharp high notes.

•  As we pass through the logo, we see bones and skulls which represents death and decay. This could also symbolise that the films are becoming more intense and perhaps not a kids film anymore. A snake then comes out of the skull’s mouth and slithers away, it whispers in another language. Snakes represent evil and sin. We follow the snake in an effective camera angle, seeing from only the snakes point of view. 

• The scene seems to be set in a graveyard which adds to the frightening atmosphere, this could also foreshadow a death later in the film.

• The camera then rises to see a statue that is a skelton with a stick and the build up to seeing this statue tells us that we might be seeing it later on in the film. The camera then rises above the statues head and we see ‘Harry Potter’ as the theme song starts to play in a scary and quite frightening way and not the way we saw in the first couple of films. 

•  Out of the mist, we see “and the Goblet of Fire” under Harry Potter. We then go through the name and see houses in a small village. A light turns on in the house, so we know someone is inside, however it is very quiet. 

• The gloomy and eery atmosphere is something I want to replicate in our film, as our film is a thriller so this would be effective to set the scene.

Analysis of opening 2 minutes of Sleepy Hollow

• Sleepy Hollow is a 1999 American-German horror film directed by Tim Burton. 

• The film begins with a short clip from Mandalay Films of a tiger coming out of the jungle which then turns into their logo. This tells us straight away that Mandalay Films is the production company for this film. 

• The screen goes black and through white mist we see "Mandalay Pictures Presents". An eery singing begins in the background and this gives a creepy atmosphere already. The text then fades away into darkness. Next, we see another production line come through the darkness with a white mist, "Scott Rudin/American Zoetrope production". This also fades away. 

• Then, we see "A Tim Burton film" come through the darkness with mist and the creepy singing stops but background music is still present, it is low and deep as if building up to something.

• The first scene is a close up shot of what we presume is blood dripping from above. This makes us think there has been a murder or a death and sets up the whole film from the beginning.

• There is then a close up of hands linking together. One hand seems like a young woman's and the others an old man's, both of their clothes are old fashioned so we know that this was set a long time ago. The hands linking together could also symbolise a pact or a secret that these two people made. This could link to the 'blood' we saw before. In addition, we also see a "last will and testament" which adds to the thought that a death has occurred. 
• Next, we discover that what we thought was blood dripping turns out to be wax for a stamp on the will. This shows that the audience had a pre-conceived idea about what the film was like before we saw what it truly was, this may have been thanks to the creepy music and misty darkness at the beginning. 

• The scene then cuts to horses and a carriage riding along a path at night time. The darkness and the mist is like the beginning when the production and director were being shown. This creates an eery and scary atmosphere. There is diegetic sounds of the horses galloping and the thunder and lightning. The thunder and lightning is used for pathetic fallacy and this foreshadows that something bad is going to happen. There is also non-diegetic sound which is the intense background music. In the carriage is an old man who is vulnerable so this could show that something may happen to him. On the side of the carriage is the same stamp that was on the will so we see that the man at the beginning holding hands with the other character is probably this man.

• We then hear another dietetic sound of a sword being pulled out and then a slice of a knife. However, we don't see what is happening until the old man does and this is a good technique because then the audience only see from the character's point of view, so when the old man looks out of the carriage, we see that the man riding the carriage at the front has been beheaded. The music is now loud and booming. 

• This is a good first couple of minutes of a film because it gives the audience some idea of what the film is about and the type of genre it is, in this case, horror. It also leaves the audience wanting to know more about the person that beheaded the man and why he did it. 

Ellie's Media Coursework 2014!