Class Feedback on Initial Ideas

When sharing the initial idea for our film with the class, we received some constructive criticism and things we may need to think about for our final film.

• First of all we need to choose whether what time of day we are going to do it and if we will be able to fit all of the filming onto one day. We decided that we want to do it on a cloudy day, so that it is dark and adds to the drama and suspense feel of the film. 
• We will also need to research more action/drama films to try and get some techniques for creating tension. 
• In addition, we need to think of some different camera angles and pauses, so that it is not just 2 minutes of someone running through a forest. We may think about included small hints to why the person is running. 

Overall, the feedback was positive, as the idea of the enigma seemed interesting and gripping. 

Match on Action- Film making research

Match on Action is when the film editor cuts from one shot to another and connects them together. 

The shots are taken from different angles though the scene may be the same. This gives the impression that the scene is continuing through, though one shot may be filmed hours or days after. 

However, if they are filmed a long time after, they must make sure everything on set stays the same. The cut is smooth and effective so that the viewer’s attention is not on the cut. 

The actors sometimes have to repeat their actions several times in order to capture it from several angles.

When we make our final film we must remember to use match on action because it makes the film look more professional and we want it to look like a real film. This also makes the shots flow more smoothly and it means we can include lots of different angles of one shot. This will be very useful because our film is a thriller so we need fast cutting shots to flow smoothly.

Here is an example of Match on Action:

Generic Conventions of a Thriller research

In order to fit with these conventions our first 2 minutes need to keep the audience captivated and we can do this by using the right music and quick pace shots. We are going to use a flashback scene so this will keep the audience wondering and they will also wonder why the girl is running through the forest in the first place. 

Although we can't have dark lighting because we don't have the equipment real films have (lights etc) we will try to find a day where the sky is cloudy and grey to create the more dim lighting without being too dark and so we can still see the actor. 

We are planning to have quick cut shots especially between the girl running and the car driving and these shots will become faster and faster as the opening goes on. This will create suspense as the audience will wonder what is going to happen next. We are also going to have lots of different shots, including shots on the floor, behind trees and looking up into the trees etc, this will help the disorientation of the film and scenes.

We are going to use tense music, and diegetic sounds of heavy breathing and perhaps screaming of the main character. The music we are going to choose has to progressively get louder as the opening goes on. 

However through out this we must remember to follow the 180 degree rule as well as using match on action and shot reverse shot which will probably be most prominent in the flashback scene.

Audience Research

Taken's target audience is mostly 15-24 year olds, however it is also quite popular with older demographics. The gender who saw the film most was male and this may be because there is more action and violence, which generally appeals to the male population. On the other hand, there is also a lot of females that saw the film which means that the film also appears to females too, this could be because of the story line as females usually become emotionally invested with story lines.

Similarly to Taken, Taken 2 also had slightly more of a male audience than female though the percentage has increased a bit. The age percentage is predominantly ages 15-24 which shows that for our film we should aim it at these age groups as these are the people that enjoy the genre and also going to the cinema. There were less in the 35-44 age group, so for our film that will not be the target audience.

 The Hunger Games is a different genre to our film but some of the setting we want to use for our film is in The Hunger Games. The gender percentages are very similar but there are more males which could show that overall action is more popular with males. Like the other films, the age range of 15-24, which further shows that this is the main target audience for film makers.

Ransom is similar to taken and with gender the percentages are about the same as taken, with more males that females. However, the ages are different as there it is close between 15-24 and 25-34. This could show that for action films the range for age is 15-34 which suggests that it is a genre widely enjoyed by many people.

Overall, looking at the percentages for these films, that relate to our film, we can begin to see who are target audience will be, predominantly males aged 15-24. This will help us when we make our film to see what we should include to entice this type of audience.

Diary Post 3 - Audience Research

Last lesson, we looked at audience research and who our target audience will be. I went on the Pearl & Dean website and looked for some films that will be similar to ours, I looked for Taken, because we are going to use that film as inspiration. I also looked for films similar to Taken and I found Ransom and Taken 2. I also used The Hunger Games even though it is a different genre to our film it has similar scenes like running through forests. I learnt a lot about which audience we could target for our film. We should target males between the ages of 15-24.

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.