The Watching Documentry

1) What does Thomas Sutcliffe mean when he says "Films need to seduce their audience into long term commitment. While there are many types of seduction, the temptation to go for instant arousal is almost irresistible"?

• Sutcliffe is trying to say that films need to seduce their audience from the very beginning of the film till the very end. Thebeginning needs to grab attention of the audience or else there will be a chance of them not liking the film.

2) Acording to Director Jean Jacques Beineix, what are the risks of 'instant arousal'?

• The risks of 'instant arousal' is that if the beginning is very strong and gripping it would be hard to maintain that for the rest of the film or build to up strength .

3) Explain why "a good beginning must make the audience feel that it doesn't know nearly enough yet, and at the same time make sure that it doesn't know to little"?

• This is because this way the audience will want to carry on watching the film to find out the rest , it's a good way to keep the audience wanting more . If a film beginning were to give very little away then it would probably result in the audience loosing intrest and feeling unsatisfied.

4) What does critic Stanley Kauffmann describe as the classic opening? Why does this work ?

• Kauffmann describes the classic opening to start with an establishing shot of newyork city , usually seen from the east. After, there would be a close up of a building, the camera would go up a building to a window , then it would go in the window , then it would past the receptionist desk to the private office. The reason why this classic process works is because through this method you were told where the film was set.

5) Why is Kyle Cooper's title sequence to the film Seven so effective?

• It is so effective is because the title sequence has essentially become the first scene in the sense that it's creating an atmosphere and a tone for the rest of the film. By mixing the titles with images it hooks the audience, the audience can already guess that this title sequence is foreshadowing some of what might happen in the film.

6) What did Orson Welles want to achieve with his opening to the film A Touch of Evil ? What did Universal studios do to it? Why?

• Welles wanted to make his title sequence different and original to other title sequences in a way that involved using no music and adding no credits. He wanted the opening to be strong and he thought with music and the credits it wouldn't give of the effect he wanted to achieve. However Universal studios didn't agree with this method and so they created their own version.

7) What is meant by "a favourite trick of film Noir"? What is the trick?

8) How does the opening to the film 'The Shining' create suspense?

 

• The opening to the film 'The Shining' creates suspense due to the camera , at first we see this beautiful scene then the camera starts focusing after this small object in a predator form from a birds eye view , we can tell it's a car . While all this is happening with the camera we can also hear music that builds up the tension and suspense that we feel when looking at the scene , eventually we realise that the car is going in the wrong direction which can only mean trouble .

Different Types of Structure of a Film Opening

Opening film structures are very essential when creating any kind of film, There are four different kinds of structures i'll be looking at these are; discrete , narrative , titles over a black screen and stylised openings . The four opening structures are all very different , you can have complicated and really edited structures to very simple ones overall though all of them are used due to it's effectiveness.


The opening of the film SEVEN is an example of a Discrete opening structure , this type of structure is edited alot and often including many images ,effects and blank black screens with titles. What makes it effective is that everything is edited very well and that it creates a spooky vibe which is great for thrillers. And also the audience can catch a glimpse of what the films could be about.

The second opening structure is Narrative opening, this type of opening structure mainly involves the credits and the location , this structure is not as appealing because the credits are very bold and takes away the scary element  that is meant to be in a thriller opening. I watched the opening to the film The Shining and  I could not tell that the film was a thriller. Howevere I got  a hint of danger as the camera was getting closer to the camera.  

Thirdly, credits over screen is a very simple way in which to open a film . During the opening a black screen would appear and then the credits would be placed within the black screen. This is effective because the colour black is associated with danger , darkness and the unknown.

 

Finally the last structure stylised opening , this type of structure is heavily edited and just like the discrete  opening structure it to uses many editing techniques to make the flim look interesting.This clip, The taking of Pelham 123; due to the fast paced edits, transitions and a lot of images of the location of the film it assures the audience that this clip is an action thriller.

Overall all of these film opening structures have something to offer however, the openings which are heavily stylised are the most effective . As a group we decided that we want to do a titles over a blank screen, followed by a narrative opening.

Prelim: The Letter

The video shown above is our completed video of our prelim work called 'The Letter'.

Practice: PRELIM Editing of the prelim

In my group we filmed the the prelim video, after we were told to edit our clips to make the Prelim video look professional. We edited the clips using final cut pro, we first organised the clips in order by taking out the clips from our memory card by importing them in the final cut software.We then took out a few clips which were inappropriate to the prelim video as they were either filming retakes which is useless or recording we took by accident. In addition we cut a few clips which we were using to a shorter length so it could fit in well with the other shots.

Including the match cut, shot/reverse shot and following the 180 degree rule, we then went on to adding foley sound. We gathered the foley sound by getting a camcorder and recorded the sound to include in our video. The sounds we recorded were things such as: pushing down a door handle, turning on a chair and slamming the hand on the table. We then imported these sounds in to sound track pro, where we placed the foley sounds in proportion to the filming. This was a straight forward task however we had a few problems importing the sound an exporting it from sound track pro to film cut pro. We used a few other sounds from the sound track software such as violine playing and the sound of a heart beat. Overall the whole process of editing the sound went well as we managed to sync the sound with the video clip.

The last part of editing we did was include the text in the video. We put in the production company and the film title in the clip. However we did not have much time to include the cast members and other crew member names.

Prelim - Camera Shahrin

In our prelim we have used a number of camera shots to make our video clip look real and show our knowledge in using the different types of camera shots and angles.

This is a close up of the first characters hand, about to open the door to the room where the second character is. This close up of the hand is an important camera shot because it suggests that there is something not right behind the door.

This is an over the shoulder shot where the first character is facing the second character and the camera is going over the first characters shoulder.

This is a midshot of the first character, while we were recording we panned the camera and used the 180 degree rule.

This is a two shot of both the camera, however the first character is close to the camera then the second character. This two shot is significant because it is showing both of the characters.

Preliminary - Sound

The screen shots above show the sound editing for our preliminary video called "The Letter". We included foley sounds of our own and from Soundtrack Pro, the program we used as seen as above. We first searched for any sounds we could use for our prelim which included; the door opening and closing, the chair turning, the turn of the handle and a hand banging on the table. All of these in which we recorded ourselves using a microphone for the camera. We then proceeded to place them in the correct place for our prelim. After that, we looked for music on Soundtrack Pro to make the opening more effective and build up the tension in the movie and for the audience. At first we put a heartbeat sound which we found, so it builds tension and the audience begin to think about what is happening. We then found suspenseful music which continues to build up the tension. No dialogue has been heard yet so the audience don't know anything about the film but they know that its important. We then put another music track of violins playing but not in a classical way; it hints to the audience that there is something going to happen. We had to put the movie on to soundtrack pro so we could place the sound were it fit and include the dialogue from the original clips. Without any help, we successfully used Soundtrack Pro.

Preliminary Anamatic

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Drawing the storyboard:

Prelim: Behind the scenes

First Idea- planning of our opening

In our media class, we were asked to come up with ideas for our opening of a thriller. In our group we had many inspiring ideas that we could do as our opening, some members of the group wanted to do an Action thriller opening and others wanted to do Sci-Fi. However at the end as a group we decided that we all would like to do a Supernatural thriller. Everyone gave their ideas and we constructed our plan.

The idea that we came up with was that we want to do a supernatural thriller, a title over a blank screen follwed by a narrative opening. The actor is making a home video documentry in his room or his bathroom. He lights up the candles, then mumbles something to his camcorder. Then he picks up his book and starts to chant something at the mirror, the candle lights blow out, the door shuts, then the room goes dark. The camera then goes to home camcorder video - night vision, the camera goes off for a second, then the camera comes back on and someones face appears.

All the props are books, candles, the home camcorder and the mirror. The title that we came up with was 1 minute past 12 (12:01).

Prelim - Evaluation

In class, we had been told to make a short film which had helped us practice filming, editing, adding sounds and titles. By doing this we were able to create an idea on how the filming would go for our thriller opening. It also allowed us to address any issues that may occur when we begin working on our thriller opening. Overall, the prelim work had assisted us in knowing how to work together whilst filming

We were first told to storyboard our initial ideas, this was useful as we were able to know what we would film, in what order and how we would edit it. The storyboard also allowed us to put all our ideas on paper and see whether they were achievable or not. It also gave us a sense of how we would like each shot and where each shot would be placed in the sequence.

Re-making Arlington Road

In class, our group had the task of placing different scenes of the 1999 thriller film Arlington Road, in the way we think is right. We had to watch every clip and discuss which clip belonged where. It was quite difficult and confusing for our group, as some of clips had the same shot of the same thing but with a slight change or editing - we didn't know if the clips go together or if it was a shot reverse shot. But once we got the order correct, we edited them to make one whole clip on a software called Final Cut Pro. We watched the clip a few times, just to make sure the different clips flowed one after another and did not look "choppy". After we had done that, we had to add text to it, for the production companies and cast members, etc. We had to check which font and which colour suited the film and the mood of the film. For example, if it is a sad opening, we cannot have bright colours with fancy writing. We chose a font that looked professional and normal, and colours, which remind viewers of a certain emotion. 

My group had little problems with Final Cut Pro; some of the clips were duplicated and so we were confused as to what the correct order was. Another was that we were a bit confused with the placement of the font and how to change it. But after playing around with the settings we were finally able to fix the placement. All in all, everyone in the group contributed and we all had a part to edit the clips. Also, we had been taught how to add titles to the sequence. This was complicated; as we had to make sure each title didn’t run for too long. In addition, we had to match the font and the colours to the sequence so they were suitable.

Intertextuality - FINISH!

Intertextuality is when a film makes a visual reference from another film. In other words, when a film borrows certain things from other films which the audience may recognise, like the camera angles, aspects of mise en scene, sound or editing. In class, we looked at three different films which borrowed aspects from the most famous thriller, Psycho.

The first film is What Lies Beneath. We looked at a scene where the husband drags the wife, whilst she is unconscious and carries her in to the bathroom and places her in the baths with the shower running.

Psycho

Re-editing Arlington Road

In class, our group had the task of placing different scenes of the 1999 thriller film Arlington Road, in the way we think is right. We had to watch every clip and discuss which clip belonged where. It was quite difficult and confusing for our group, as some of clips had the same shot of the same thing but with a slight change or editing - we didn't know if the clips go together or if it was a shot reverse shot. But once we got the order correct, we edited them to make one whole clip on a software called Final Cut Pro. We watched the clip a few times, just to make sure the different clips flowed one after another and did not look "choppy". After we had done that, we had to add text to it, for the production companies and cast members, etc. We had to check which font and which colour suited the film and the mood of the film. For example, if it is a sad opening, we cannot have bright colours with fancy writing. We chose a font that looked professional and normal, and colours which remind viewers of a certain emotion. 

My group had little problems with Final Cut Pro; some of the clips were duplicated and so we were confused as to what the correct order was. Another was that we were a bit confused with the placement of the font and how to change it. But after playing around with the settings we were finally able to fix the placement. All in all, everyone in the group contributed and we all had a part to edit the clips.

Health and Safety

In our health and saftety tutorial, we watched a information video on how to use the JVC Camera in a safe and secure manner considering how valuable and expensive they are. We were taught basic funtions like switching it on and off, how to open and close the lense and how to insert the memory card.We were also shown the different devices which were with the camera such as the memory card, the tripod, etc. The memory card is very important as it holds all the footage recorded. We were told to back all our footage and work on to out video hard drive, just in case anything gets lost on the memory card.

The tripod is used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of the camera. The tripod helps make the camera record more easily and flow steadily. For example, the panning stick allows easy movement of the camera for panning - it pans easily and steady because it is pivoted on the tripod. We were also taught how to safely secure the camera on to the tripod, so it does not fall off whilst recording. Another requirement is that the legs of the tripod had to be spread evenly and had to be the same length so the camera would not be wonky.

Target Audiences

Each genre of film has a certain target audience Films are usually created to be aimed at a certain target audience. A target audience is a specific group of people within the target market at which a product or message is aimed at, in this case it is the different genre of films.. For example, horror films are mainly aged at teens, although they can be enjoyed by older audiences aswell.

Comedy is considered to be the most popular genre that is watched, however there are other successful genres such as horror, action, mystery, animation and thriller.

Toy Story is the first of a animated adventure trilogy. It has been given an age certificate of 'U', meaning that it is universal and therefore suitable for all ages. Since it is an animation film, it is most likely to be aimed at children and seen as a family film, however the movie is enjoyable for all ages.

Intertextuality

The term 'intertexuality' refers to a form of text being used or portrayed in the means of another. When someone uses or alters a previous text that has been created before. A famous example of this is the shower scene which is shown in 'Psycho'. This has been used many other times in various films. 'The Stepfather' (2009), 'What Lies Beneath' (2001) and 'Fatal Attraction' (1987) are all examples of films that have used the shower scene from 'Psycho' and integrated it into their film.

As we were first shown the shower scene in 'Psycho' and it had created suspense for the audience, we now associate the same emotion when we see this scene being portrayed in another film. Even though all these films have a shower scene similar to 'Psycho', they have all modified their scene by changing some factors such as the mise-en-scene, making the scene their own.

Planning the Group Opening

Within my group we have decided that we would like to create the opening to a supernatural thriller. This is because we believe that this type of thriller would be effective and help to attract our audience's attention and keep them intrigued as to what happens next. We haven't yet decided what structure of opening we wish to use as we believe that stylised and discrete could work for our opening.

My group has researched some videos online which have helped us begin to think about storyboarding our opening. This has helped us as it has given us inspiration with what we might like to do for our thriller opening. After looking at some videos, my group had suggested of using a bathroom as a location, which would be a part of mise-en-scene, this was put forward as an idea because our protagonist is meant to be seen as isolated and a bathroom is usually seen as a place of privacy.

Different Types of Structure of a Film Opening

There are different types of structures that may be used in a thriller opening. They are:

1.  narrative opening with the titles running throughout
2. A discrete title sequence
3. Titles over a blank screen, followed by the narrative opening. 
4.  A 'stylized editing' opening structure. 

A narrative opening is an opening which sets up the story straight away. This is a good structure to use for an opening as it engages the audience with the story immediately, making it less likely for them to lose interest. A thriller that follows this opening is 'The Shining', we are first shown a car driving further and further into the mountains. Also, there are titles which are shown as the clip goes on.

                                             

 The next opening that may be used in the opening of a film is discrete film opening.This type of opening is usually heavily edited with special effects and titles. It is a distinctive type of opening as all aspects are edited in a way which helps build emotion and set the scene so that it intrigues the audience to carry on keeping themselves engaged with the movie. A great example that uses this type of opening is the thriller 'Se7en', this is because they have used the factors that make ot a discrete film opening.

Another opening that may be used for films is titles over a blank screen, followed by the narrative opening. This is similar to a narrative opening except this opening begins with showing the audience titles over a blank screen. However, this type of opening has the risk of losing the attention of the audience if the titles run for too long. An example of a film that has used this opening is 'Donnie Darkco'

Finally, the last type of opening that can be used is a sylized type opening. This structure consists of using various types of edits, which can be time-consuming. However, once this is all done it is interesting to see how all the shots fit together to make this type of opening. To use this type of opening can be very effective as it usually fascinates the audience meaning that they would most likely remain connected with the film. 'The Taking of Pelham 123' is a good example which uses a stylised type opening.

Foley Sounds

In lesson we were shown this clip about foley sounds. A foley sound is a sound that is added during post production. This could include simple sounds such as a door closing, paper rustling, a light switching on, etc.

The structure of Thriller Openings

In film, there are three basic structures in the film opening which are shown in the beginning. The film opening set the mood and give the audience a little hint of what the film is about. If the film opening is uncaptivating, the audience will get bored and judge the movie based on the opening, and so will not watch the film. The four key film openings are as follows:

A narrative opening with the titles running throughout the film-

The Shining (1980)

A narrative opening establishes where the film is, who the characters are and little bits of the story before the movie title is revealed. This is so the audience can 'digest' what the film is about just from the opening. In The Shining, the titles move up like credits at the end of a film.This is so the continuity of the film doesn't break - it 'flows'. Another ecample is in Panic Room; when the casting sequence comes on, it is placed at different angles and places to suit the shapes of the buildings in the city.

Panic Room (2002)

A discrete title sequence-

Enemy of the State (1998)

 A discrete opening sequence could be described as "nothing to do with the film" - For example in this movie, it has cctv footage of crime commited in America, but they have nothing to do with the film. None of the characters are shown, but the audience have an idea of what the film could be about. A discrete title sequence ia also very heavily edited - this could be from the font or the effects of the film done by computer. Coming on to the casting sequence, it is always shown first, before any of the movie starts. This is to build tension for the audience.

Titles over a blank screen, followed by the narrative opening-

Donnie Darko(2001)

 

Credits over a blank screen as the film opening gets straight in to the film. In Donnie Darko, it first starts out with the production and distrubution companies shown infront of a blank screen. Then some of the film is shown and the movie title is revealed. However, in some openings the cast names are shown over a blank screen - in Donnie Darko, none of the cast names are shown.

Stylized Editing-

Mezrine (2008)

Stylized editing contain different types of editing; for example, in Mezrine, the screen is diveded in to two - some of the shots include the actress walking on one side and then on the other side, having the same shot but delayed by a second. Another effect in Mezrine is the camera shots; The male character is walking on one side then on the other side the same man walking and doing the same actions but from a different camera angle. This would catch the audiences attention and keep them entertained with the two screens and/or effects.

Blog On 'I Am Legend'

Last week i watched the film 'I Am Legend' one of many of my favorites of Action Thrillers. The film had many element which showed the audience including me the genre is Action Thriller. Furthermore the opening of the film could be very useful to our group as it gave me a few ideas in which we can use to open our thriller. Here is the trailer to the film 'I Am Legend'.

Film Audience - Thriller

The target audience for thriller films depends on the genre of the thriller. This could depend on the age range and also gender. In general the age range for thrillers can vary from age 12 to 18 and over, however using 'Horror Thrillers' as and example their main target audiences is for people in the age range of 18 and over. This includes both females and males.

'Action Thrillers' may also have a target audience ranging from 12-15. From my research this is made to amuse the audience. On the other hand films such as 'Fast and Furious 5' are targeted to the audience of males.

Overall the target audience for thriller films are varied from choice due to the genre of the thriller.

Art Of The Title Sequence - Arlington Road

In lesson, we were told to go on to 'Youtube' or 'Art of the Title Sequence' to research for a thriller film opening which we were interested in and which had used most of the conventions for an opening. The opening which I had preferred over the others was 'Arlington Road'. This was a good opening to look at as s had used most of the conventions for a thriller opening. 

'Arlington Road' had used titles of the actors, name of production company, the director, the producer, co-producer, name of the editor and the title of the film itself. These titles were written in plain, bold white font and the font size was medium. This may have been done so that the audience can focus on the images shown and the titles at the same time.

Some of the shots had a negative effect used on them which creates suspense for the audience, they become intrigued as to why some shots are shown with or without effect. This was a good effect used as it many thrillers haven't used this effect in their openings. Also, the negative effect used works well with the various shot types we are shown.

Overall, the title sequence is enjoyable as it follows the conventions of a thriller opening. It attracts the audience into wanting to carry on watching the film.

Film Genre & The Cinema in 2010

- 2010 had 38 suspense films released.


- Altogether, £42 million were taken from these suspense films released. 


-Action/Adventure was the genre of film that had the highest gross in 2010


- Animation films were the most popular genre for families in 2010  


- In 2010, the figures for suspense genre are higher in comparison to the documentary genre figures, although there were more documentary genre films released. There was a wide difference between the amount of suspense films released against the amount of documentary films released. Suspense films had a total of 28 films making a profit of £42,441,123. Whereas documentary films had released 57 films and only made a profit of £1,834,067.
This shows that documentary films were less popular amongst audiences compared to suspense films. Percentages show that in the box office, documentary films were only 0.2% and suspense films were 4.2%. However, horror had produced two less films than suspense but still had a higher gross rate of £45,131,491 and 4.5% at the box office. Overall, from all this information we are clearly able to see that suspense is more popular than documentary films amongst audiences and horror is more popular than suspense. Regardless f the amount of films made, if the genre isn't popular amongst audiences, then it is most likely not to do well at the box office.

Student Thriller Opening

Bathory from 283goswell on Vimeo.
Nasima Akthar, Lisa Greenleaf, Layla Sudi

This student opening is of a supernatural genre.  This opening is very effective as it does tell the audience what kind of opening it is, all the genre conventions such as the title of the clip, the name of the producer and production company, the names of the actors, the cast, the costume, music, the editor and the name of the director. These are used to make the opening seem realistic.

I think the elements of mis-en- scene such as the props like the books, candles, painting, the lighting, clothing and makeup is really effective because it make it look like a supernatural thriller. The black nail polish on the girls thumb and the black costume she is wearing also adds to being effective because black seems like a ghostly and as this student opening is a supernatural thriller so it works well. The writing is bold and white. The font type that is used, is to make the whole thing spooky.

The sound in this student opening is non-diegetic, music is upbeat and creepy, it has this feeling of curiosity and it sounds as if it is searching for something. There are many different camera shots in this video such as extreme close up, close ups, midshots, longshots and wide shots.







This close up shot of the little doll which is pinned and blood coming out shows the attention to detail and the fact that it is on top of the book with a star, which reveals to the audience that this clip is something to do with witchcraft.

Transition effects are also used during the editing, for example in the scene when the girl is walking it dissolves and starts to fade into the scene where the books and candles are, this suggests that there is a link between the two.

Elements of intertextuality is used like for example, the negative and coloured effects which are used are taken from the opening of Arlington road. The red coloured effect makes the scene seem very intense and interesting.

Overall the this student opening is really good, the genre convetions, camera workm sound and editing worked really well and has also been used well.

Bathory from 283goswell on Vimeo.
Nasima Akthar, Lisa Greenleaf, Layla Sudi

As a group, we watched formal students film opening. We discussed the good points and the bad points, by looking at the camera angles/shots, the editing, the props, music, etc. "Bathory" looks like a supernatural thriller due to the effects and camera shots. As our group chose to do the same, we can use this video as inspiration to get similar ideas for opening. For example, when the opening credit is shown it uses a match cut to a candle or the books. Another example of something we could use for inspiration is the editing - our video requires a lot of editing and so this can help us edit the film.

This good points about this film opening is mostly the mise en scene: all the props needed for filming the students have to get themselves, and there are a lot props used in this video - the books, candles, puppets. They mostly used natural light in the park but when they are in the dark room, there are candles lit and there maybe a light just above the props. I also thought the editing was very strong in this video - it wasn't too much but it was't a lot either.

Analysing a Student Film Opening

Bathory from 283goswell on Vimeo.
Nasima Akthar, Lisa Greenleaf, Layla Sudi


This was a previous student film opening which was made last year. They were a successful film opening because they had used the four technical elements of sound, mise-en-scene, camerawork and editing well.

The sound used in the film was done well as the group used it to build suspense throughout the clip. As the action was building so was the music, it got louder and more fast paced as the clip went on.

Another technical element that was used to help make this opening successful was the mise-en-scene. The props used in the clip helped to build up a sense of tension. For example, the location used of the graveyard relates to the red dye as it makes the audience think that death is involved within the clip.

The camerawork used in this clip had a fair amount of extreme close ups. This had allowed the audience to become familiar and recognisable with the props that were shown. Also the tracking used in the clip had also helped the audience identifiable with props such as the voodoo doll and the red ink, similarly the tracking used helped the audience to be familiar with the location where the group had filmed their opening, in this case it was the graveyard.  

As this film opening was a supernatural thriller, the editing used had helped portray this. The special effects used help create this image of the supernatural.

Overall, the group were able to make their opening to a thriller a success as they used all four technical elements to work with each other. Also, they had used the conventions of an opening, such as the titles shown at the beginning, the non-diegetic soundtrack and the action used at the beginning to hold the attention of the audience. As the group had done this they had succeeded in their filming to their supernatural thriller.

Student Thriller Opening

30. Eleni Koutis, Klaudia Wozniak, Reem Ghirmay, Valeza Bakolli from 283goswell on Vimeo.

This student thriller opening is very influential as it contains many opening film components. Furthermore as this is a 'Supernatural Thriller' it gives us an inspiration to create a video on the same line as 'Victoria'. This student opening contains key elements which can help us produce our opening. This clip gives us a very supernatural background due to the music and also the objects used. They have an excellent use of mise en scene, and also the strong use of music gives the audience a thriller type film. in addition the camera angles used are immaculate aswel as the actors facial expression. The editing in the opening is used quite well and the use of the child dollies and playground songs makes the audience scared and aware.

Overall this opening to a thriller is impressing and my group could show the portryal of intertextuality as we may use a few ideas from the clip 'Victoria'

Intertexuality

In the area of film intertexuality means the taking of parts of a film which is then shown similarly in another film or is used as a whole. One example which is repeatedly used in other thrillers is a extract of a bathroom scene from the film 'Psycho'. 

An example of where intertextuality is used  in a film called 'Fatal Attraction'. In the scene there are two woman which are fighting each other, on of them stabs the other with a knife. The man comes upstairs and goes grabs the woman and pushes her in to the bath tub where he drowns her. This film copies the film 'Psycho' in many ways, its uses the white background such as the tiles and bathtub. In addition is uses the same knife and also when the woman falls in to the bath tub she pulls the bath curtain down with her. 

The thriller 'White Lies' Also uses some parts from Psycho. In the clip the man carries his wife to the bathroom where the bathtub is white and also the surroundings are white colored based. In the film it uses the same sort of shower and it has the shower curtain. This is all copied from the film 'Psycho'. This may be due to the fact that psychologically humans like to see the same sort of films. It may be because humans like seeing the same ideas being used over and over again.


This could be influencing to our opening scene as we could also put intertextuality to action as we could use certain examples from other films in our opening to a thriller.

Genre And Sub-Genre

Genre means a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter examples of a film genre is 'Thrillers'


A Sub Genre is a specific type in a film for example the sub genres of a 'Thrillers' are romantic, supernatural,horror, comedy, actions etc.

The sub-genre which inspires me the most is an Action Thriller as it gives me a lot of action to look forward to and also entertains me.

Fast And Furious 5

This is a good film opening as it is an upbeat tempo opening. its creates adrenaline to the audience, it might help us on our thriller opening as it has a very good portrayal of the main opening conventions. my group can use a few of the ideas of how the opening scenes. if we decide to do an opening on an Action Thriller.  

Art Of The Title Sequence - Arlington Road

In my media lesson, i was told to search on Youtube to find a film opening that uses most of the conventions. The film opening i decided to blog about was 'Arlington Road' as my media teacher strongly recommended too. it contains a lot of the opening conventions and because its a really good film. 

This title sequence contained a substantial amount of opening conventions as it includes: The Title of the film, which in this case is 'Arlington Road', the names of the production companies, name of actors, name of the director, producer, co-producer and the name of the editor.  

The opening is quite original as the person who made the opening uses negative effects which creates a automatic reaction from the views, due to its originality. This opening sequence is effective as it gives the audience an awareness that the film is a thriller. Furthermore the music works well with the sequence as it makes the sequence feel scary. They use many camera angle shots which includes close ups, mid shots and long shots.

Overall i think this is a great film opening as it contains many of the opening conventions and its gives the audience a very good idea of what to look forward too.

Genre and sub-genre

Genre is a category of artistic composition marked by a distinctive style, form, or content. This can range from music, books, art but in this case, film. For example, within a film genre, there are: thrillers, comedy, family, suspense, adventure, etc. A sub-genre is a genre within a genre - a genre is broken down. An example of this, are sub-genres of thrillers, which we are currently studying: political, crime, action, horror, etc.

The thriller sub-genre which inspires my group for our own film opening is the horror thriller sub-genre. We, as a group, have a lot of ideas for this sub-genre as most thrillers are horror. Also, as teenagers, we are most likely to watch horror thriller rather than political or sci-fi thrillers because of the excitement generated by the film and the satisfying resolution found at the end.

This is a clip from the film Psycho (1960), which is the most famous scene in the history of, not just horror movies, but in film in general. All four key aspects have been used clearly in the scene and other movies get inspirations and influences from this scene - just like we are. We would like to interpret some of the key technical areas (camera, mise en scene, editing and sound) in the scene in to our opening .

Intertexuality

In film intertexuality means the borrowing of parts of a film and is shown in another way or in another film. Many thrillers have taken parts from the well known horror film 'Psycho' and use these clips in their own thrillers.

In one part of the thriller 'Fatal Attraction' there are two women in the bathroom one is stabbing the other, then a man comes running up the stairs into the bathroom after he hears the women shouting. He strangles her and tries to drown her in the bath tub. The aspects that were borrowed from 'Psycho' are the knife when the women is constantly stabbing  the other women, the white tile and the white bath tub, women screaming and the setting which is the bathroom.

The thriller 'Stepfather' Also 'borrows' some parts from Psycho. In the clip a man is chasing a women, then women runs up the stairs into the bathroom, the man is carrying a knife he brakes the bathroom door open and tries to stab the women, the women has a broken piece of glass in her hand. When he tries to stab her she quickly stabs him with the broken mirror and he falls into the bath tub with the shower curtain ripping. The aspect borrowed from 'Psycho' are the knife, the thud noise, the bath tub, the white tiles and the close up on the shower curtain ripping.

Target Audience

In adverstising and marketing a target audience is a specific group of people with a target market at which the marketing message is aimed. A target audience can be formed of people of a certain age group and gender. The different groups example: Adults, teens, children, mid-teens, pre-schoolers.


This film genre and sub genre looks like it is a Psychological thriller. The background colour is black which symbolises it as something bad, the facial expression of the actress shows that she looks scared. The font of the title is in capitals, bold and is shadowed which creates more tension. The target audience for this sub genre are both male and female age ranging from 16 to 25.



The Sub genre of this film looks like it is a Political thriller. What makes it look like a political thriller are some the elements of mis en scene such as the clothing of the actors, they are wearing smart clothes black and white. Other things such as the stamp which says CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE and underneath the title of the film it says WIFE, MOTHER, SPY make it all seem like it is a political thriller. The target audience for this genre would be both men and women.



 The sub genre of Tower Heist Comedy. This is conveyed through the actors Edie Murphy and Ben Stiller. The other conventions that make it seem like a comedy thriller is the tower their standing on, it is tilted to the side and seems as if they are going to slide off it. The little dog and the big lady and their facial expressions also make it as a comedy sub genre.  The audience for this genre would be young people ages 16+.

The Sub Genre of this film is Romantic thriller. The signifiers that make it look like a romantic comedy are things like both the characters looking at each other, the actor Justin Timberlake looks like he is trying to protect her by holding her her hair. The gun, the city behind them and the time code on his hand also make it a romantic thriller. The audience for this romantic thriller are bothe men and women age range from 16 to 25.

Harry Potter is an Adventure thriller which is targetted at young people aged 14 to 25. The characters make it seem it is aged at young people, the fact that they are running and in the woods make the sub genre an adventure thriller. The font is in bold sharp writing and makes it look like the genre is a thriller.

This film 'Dream House' looks like it is a Supernatural thriller. This is shown through the dull colour of the whole poster, the two little girls facing backwards with their hair let out and the actor Daniel Craig reaching out for the door nob. The target audience for this sub genre are young people again ages from 14 to 25.