I tried to make these bigger, but they went much blurrier, so i left them at this size.
Friday, 14 November 2008
Storyboards for our Thriller Movie Intro.
I have three storyboards for the different shots in our film. We may change bits, but these are our plan to start us off and guide us. The two with the crosses our ones we planned on doing, but after a while didn't seem necessary.
I tried to make these bigger, but they went much blurrier, so i left them at this size.
I tried to make these bigger, but they went much blurrier, so i left them at this size.
Costume Evaluation For Our Thriller.
Costumes:
The girl in our thriller, will be wearing stereotypical femme fatale attire. At first she will be wearing a long coat with her hair up, with the dress underneath and high heels to add the effects of ladylike features, again stereotypical femme fatale. We are having it so she wears a big, sparkly significant ring. We've made it seem as if she's forgotten to take it off, and this is how the male is able recognise her, as she doesn't think to take it off while she gets changed. This could be a reason why she could be working for herself and not anyone else. She couldn't have gone under the great amounts of training needed to be under the care of other gangs as she isn't greatly experienced in the aspect of being undercover.
The girl in our thriller, will be wearing stereotypical femme fatale attire. At first she will be wearing a long coat with her hair up, with the dress underneath and high heels to add the effects of ladylike features, again stereotypical femme fatale. We are having it so she wears a big, sparkly significant ring. We've made it seem as if she's forgotten to take it off, and this is how the male is able recognise her, as she doesn't think to take it off while she gets changed. This could be a reason why she could be working for herself and not anyone else. She couldn't have gone under the great amounts of training needed to be under the care of other gangs as she isn't greatly experienced in the aspect of being undercover.
The first male the viewers will meet in our thriller, the 'vulnerable' male from whome she steals the wallet, will be wearing casual clothing. Just a jacket, t-shirt, jeans and trainers will suffice for him.
The second male the viewers will meet, isn't so vulnerable as he has previously had his wallet taken by the femme fatale and has recognised her, again another reason why she seems inexperienced. This male will also just need to be in casual clothes. A different jacket, t-shirt jeans and trainers combo will be fitting for this actor.
Audience Reserch Planning and Process
PLANNING
Starting Point:
What do I want to know?
- What makes them watch it?
- Plot?
- Modern thriller, film noir?
- Conventions or genre?
- Male or female lead?
- Past films our audience have enjoyed?
Key Qualities:
- Simple and easy to understand
- Focused
- Planned carefully
- Data collected on participants
- Clear rationale - why? (point behind the question)
Effective collection of date.
SO
what do you want to know?
10 questions
Age?
Gender?
Favourite genre?
Male or female lead?
Traditional thriller (e.g - pshyco) or Modern thriller (e.g - layer cake)
PROCESS
- Decide what focus of the research is.
What do you want to find out?
- Prepare questionnaire/surveys.
- Carry out research.
How did you decide on your sample.
- Collate results.
- Present results/graphs/pie charts.
- Make conclusions.
Identifying specific target audience.
Age/gender/demographic. How will you make it successful? How will you target your audience?
Identify paterns.
gain ideas and direction for your thriller.
Target audience is 15-20 years old.
Starting Point:
What do I want to know?
- What makes them watch it?
- Plot?
- Modern thriller, film noir?
- Conventions or genre?
- Male or female lead?
- Past films our audience have enjoyed?
Key Qualities:
- Simple and easy to understand
- Focused
- Planned carefully
- Data collected on participants
- Clear rationale - why? (point behind the question)
Effective collection of date.
SO
what do you want to know?
10 questions
Age?
Gender?
Favourite genre?
Male or female lead?
Traditional thriller (e.g - pshyco) or Modern thriller (e.g - layer cake)
PROCESS
- Decide what focus of the research is.
What do you want to find out?
- Prepare questionnaire/surveys.
- Carry out research.
How did you decide on your sample.
- Collate results.
- Present results/graphs/pie charts.
- Make conclusions.
Identifying specific target audience.
Age/gender/demographic. How will you make it successful? How will you target your audience?
Identify paterns.
gain ideas and direction for your thriller.
Target audience is 15-20 years old.
Film Analysis - Essex Boys (2000)
'Essex Boys' is a thriller movie directed by Terry Winsor and was realeased in the milennium year, 2000. It's genre is crime thriller.It was produced by Granada Films Productions. This company produced films like The Queen. The company is mainly from the UK. From beginning to end, this film was filmed actually in Essex, England. The opening scene is in noir lighting in the garage. To start of the film they use the non-diegetic voice over. The film goes on to show the generic wet and shiny streets. The movie could be a tribute to older films as it's almost as if its black and white itself. It starts off on in the generic unglamourous location. There is a brilliant, again generic point of view shot of the car going through a confined space, in this case the tunnel. The tunnel could even represent the barrel of a gun in this violent thriller film. The light bars on the roof of the tunnel shining onto the road below could easily be a representation of jail and what was to come later on in the movie. Then there's the anonymous white van, no one knows who or what is in it and is commonly used in myseterious thriller films.
The actor playing the psychopathic Locke is excellent. He brings physical and psychological characteristics to his role that really makes the movie. Wilkinson on the other hand takes a longer time to make his presence clear but comes out later as the heartless villain.
The actor playing the psychopathic Locke is excellent. He brings physical and psychological characteristics to his role that really makes the movie. Wilkinson on the other hand takes a longer time to make his presence clear but comes out later as the heartless villain.
Below: Trailer for Essex Boys
Deconstructing the shower sequence in Hitchcock's 'Pshyco' (1960)
Codes and conventions of the mise-en-scene
Lighting
Camera movements/angles
Sound
Diegetic
Non diegetic
Intertextual References
Representation of gender
Generic Signifiers
Significance of names:
Crane - birds in context of film are DEAD. Two menaces established.
Bates - indicates someone who lures prey; suggests Norman Bates is predatory - a hunter.
Close ups in the sequence when Marian and Norman are talking in the office, she gets a low angle shot, making him seem superior.
'A son is a poor substitute for a lover'.
Conversation revolved around love, death, sanity. Bates doesn't want to put his mum in an institute as he knows how horrible it can be, suggesting he has been in one himself.
Ambient - Natural
Voyuerism - He looks through the hole, watching someone. As we as the audience are watching them, over the shoulder.
He shows himself as a peeping tom.
Extreme close ups of eye, looking through the eye.
Shower sequence, close up of legs, showing vulnerable.
Natural sounds - Diegetic sounds - Rain/Shower.
Her in the shower represents her washing away her sins, having a shower in a bath/a confined space.
Plughole fades into a dead eye, camera rotates.
The camera moves from the eye to the money and then to the hosue.
Bird falls on the floor as Bates turns around, signifying Cranes' death.
Like her, her body bag is transparent.
As before in the hotel, this location is unglamorous and has old, horrid mops to clean up the mess.
Her new car becomes her hearse.
Noir lighting.
A lot of things get piled into the car boot, though there is a lot in it already.
A LOT of diegetic sound. Clanking of the pan. He chucks the money, not realiazing as it is in the paper, in the boot with the body. Takes the car to a desolate place.
Lighting
Camera movements/angles
Sound
Diegetic
Non diegetic
Intertextual References
Representation of gender
Generic Signifiers
Significance of names:
Crane - birds in context of film are DEAD. Two menaces established.
Bates - indicates someone who lures prey; suggests Norman Bates is predatory - a hunter.
Close ups in the sequence when Marian and Norman are talking in the office, she gets a low angle shot, making him seem superior.
'A son is a poor substitute for a lover'.
Conversation revolved around love, death, sanity. Bates doesn't want to put his mum in an institute as he knows how horrible it can be, suggesting he has been in one himself.
Ambient - Natural
Voyuerism - He looks through the hole, watching someone. As we as the audience are watching them, over the shoulder.
He shows himself as a peeping tom.
Extreme close ups of eye, looking through the eye.
Shower sequence, close up of legs, showing vulnerable.
Natural sounds - Diegetic sounds - Rain/Shower.
Her in the shower represents her washing away her sins, having a shower in a bath/a confined space.
Plughole fades into a dead eye, camera rotates.
The camera moves from the eye to the money and then to the hosue.
Bird falls on the floor as Bates turns around, signifying Cranes' death.
Like her, her body bag is transparent.
As before in the hotel, this location is unglamorous and has old, horrid mops to clean up the mess.
Her new car becomes her hearse.
Noir lighting.
A lot of things get piled into the car boot, though there is a lot in it already.
A LOT of diegetic sound. Clanking of the pan. He chucks the money, not realiazing as it is in the paper, in the boot with the body. Takes the car to a desolate place.
Media Studies Questionnaire/Essay
Year 12 Media Studies
Name: Charlotte Worden
IGCSE Results: English Language – B, English Literature – C, Drama – C, Physical Education – C, Math – D. Environmental Management – D, Biology – D, Information Technology – D, Business – E.
Hobbies: Shopping, dancing, listening to music, tennis, football, basketball and socialising.
MEDIA INTERESTS:
Print Media:
I hate to admit that I don’t read many newspapers, though my parents always say it’s always a good thing to know what’s happening in the world. Now I’m a media student, I will definitely start to read more of them. When I do pick up a paper, I usually look at the Eastern Daily Press, which has a lot of news in it. It includes all the main headlines, all the sport news and fixtures and scores of matches, it has some bits about celebrities – I usually read that in magazines though – and it shows upcoming events and television times.
I love reading magazines, I usually pick one up when I’m in a shop that sells them. I usually buy Teen Vogue or just Vogue itself, as my fashion magazines are my favourite. I adore just sitting down and browsing through to see the fashion and read the articles about what’s hot and what’s not. Sometimes I read the cheap, celebrity gossip ones like Heat or OK, usually if I’m in the hairdressers, or if they’re laying around, but I don’t buy them. They have some pretty informative stories about celebrities’ personal life, which I guess can be interesting.
Radio Media:
Most of the time, I listen to the radio when I’m in the car. I don’t really listen to it for news, mostly music, although if it’s on the channels I listen to then I’ll listen sometimes. I always tune into Kiss radio first because they have good songs, but if there’s not a song on I want to hear, I’ll switch to Radio 1 or Broadland 102 to see what’s on. Sometimes the Kiss channel has gossip about or interviews with celebrities which are always interesting.
Music Industry:
When people ask me what my favourite music genre is, I don’t really know what to say. I listen to a lot of different types, but I guess I mostly listen to RnB/Hip hop, though I love so many songs from other genres too, such as Rap, Country, Pop, Punk, Alternative and probably more.
I watch a lot of music videos on television, some of the people in the video and the stars of the video wear some nice clothes. If I’m out shopping and I remember something I’ve seen in a video, I would probably look for a cheaper version of it. Or even if I see something in a shop that I saw someone in a video wearing and I thought it looked nice then I might buy it. Some people get affected by the way the stars of videos act, they may want to be like them, so they act like them, but I don’t do that. I like watching the music videos, because a lot of them have great dance moves and sequences in that I can use when I make up a dance to a song with my friends or in a class even.
Video Games:
I don’t play many video games, but when I go to my friends’ houses and they have the consoles then I will play games such as car driving, football and dance on the Playstation or golf and tennis on the Nintendo Wii. I don’t play violent games, though some of my friends do play them and it just makes them want to be aggressive, stupid and mess around, but that’s just the boys.
New Technology:
I do have access to the internet and I use it all the time. I always use messenger to talk to my friends and Skype to call them for free which is great. I use Google a lot to search for anything I need and it gives me great websites to use for things such as homework.
I think new technology is great, the internet is amazing for many things, and definitely increases communication with others as well as finding out anything you want to know. It stores so much information that is just so easy to find and increase peoples’ knowledge.
I have a mobile phone, it’s a 5610 Music Express. It’s great, I can store so many songs on it – I still haven’t reached its full capacity – It has a good camera on it, so I can take pictures in the moment I want to, I can access the internet on it too, though I tend to just keep to computers for that one, it also has a big memory to store my messages from friends on it. I love watching DVD’s, just sitting down with someone and some chocolate too is great. Digital television is brilliant, I have sky digital and it’s so good to be able to see what you’re watching what time programs start, what they’re about and even set reminders on them so you don’t forget to watch them. I also think its great when say, I’m watching music videos on television and some crazy image comes up that is surely not real and has obviously been generated by computers, it’s amazing what people can do with them these days.
Television:
I have a few favourite television channels, even though I’m sixteen I still watch some children’s channels, such as Disney channel or Nickelodeon, when there are good programmes on because they’re funny and they take up wasted time. I also watch music channels like, MTV, TFM or The Box because they always have interesting programs about celebrities on or just great music videos.
I suppose that my favourite television genre would be comedy, because some programs I watch are hilarious, but I do watch a few action or romances too.
I wouldn’t really know an amazing advertisement to say as the most entertaining, stylish, humorous or clever, but I do have a couple of them in mind that are pretty influential. First of all the stop smoking advertisements, especially the one where the children are copying the adults and pretending to smoke crayons, while playing the song with lyrics along the lines of, ‘whatever you do, I do too, because I love you’, and if I was an adult smoker with children, or with a love of children it would definitely affect me a lot. Then there’s the legendary Sheila’s Wheels that affects women that need good car insurance, as it’s all pink and has a catchy song and it’s just attractive to the women audience that it’s aiming for.
I have a few memorable television programmes, which I absolutely love. One Tree Hill is an amazing series, once I bought it I just watched them all one after the other when I wasn’t doing other things as it’s a really addicting program where you watch teenagers through high school, then after college. I also love The O.C, which is the same sort of thing, though set in a different location with different story lines. Ugly Betty is another series that is very funny and I love watching it, as it’s about a girl who starts off not fitting into her job environment as it’s a big magazine headquarters, but soon she makes things turn around and become better than before. Those are the three main ones, but I do also watch other shows such as Hannah Montana, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody and That’s So Raven.
Feature Film:
I’m always watching films, and if I really enjoy the film I will watch it again after a while. I suppose a favourite film genre would be romantic comedy, but I also enjoy action. Romantic comedies are funny as well as serious, which is really nice to have a mix of the two and they always end well somehow. Then there’s action, where you’re always alert and waiting for something to crash, bang or wallop, it’s great!
I have watched so many films in my life, I would definitely not be able to name even half of them. My favourites are The Notebook, Love Actually, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Moulin Rouge, P.S – I Love You, Chasing Liberty, Never Back Down and yes, Harry Potter and the High School Musicals, but lots more too. They all include amazing actors and actresses that star in many movies I enjoy, such as Rachel McAdams, Hugh Grant, Nicole Kidman, Sean Faris, Zac Efron and Renee Zelleweger.
I watch the majorities of films on DVD, as it’s cheaper and at home, though I do really enjoy a trip to the cinema with friends or family. So, I don’t really prefer either one, it depends on my mood. Sometimes I love to just curl up on the sofa and watch a DVD, but other times I really fancy going to the cinema and watching it on the big screen. I think that when a movie that’s been long awaited comes to the cinema, you really have to watch it there, it’s more special that way.
Well, my family moved to Thailand when I was eleven, my parents still live there, but I’ve come back for college. I’ve only been back here for almost three weeks, but when I was there I went to the cinema at the shopping mall almost every weekend, and even twice a weekend sometimes, it wasn’t very expensive there, almost two pounds a ticket. Here it’s more than double the price which is awful, but I have been to the cinema a couple of times since I’ve been back. I went to Vue in the Castle Mall and the Odeon in Riverside. I don’t think it really matter which cinema I go to, the one in Riverside is close for when I’m going out just to the cinema with family or friends, but the one in the city is convenient when we’re already out shopping, or if friends want to meet at the cinema. Both cinemas that I’ve mentioned hardly differ in comfort. I’m not sure about the price as I’ve only been twice and paid once, though in Thailand they are much cheaper. I never go to the cinema on my own, I never have, unless someone with me goes to get more snacks or goes to the toilet! Going in a group is always a laugh, and if we all really want to watch something its great. Sharing the experience with friends and family is excellent because then you can have conversations about the film and everyone will know what you’re talking about and elaborate on it.
In conclusion:
I get really offended by how magazines are all about using the size zero models. I think it looks silly when they’re so skinny that they could be anorexic, and some of them actually are. It also surprises me to see what lengths the models go to, to be featured, such as anorexia or bulimia.
I’m really interested in a programme on MTV called, ‘The Hills’. It’s a reality show about a group of friends living in America, the main character is named Lauren. Lauren starts of as being an intern for Vogue, which is something that really benefits me as I’m really into fashion journalism. She climbs up the ladder of success at Vogue, making some mistakes along the way. Her work colleagues/friends also do well there, which is entertaining to watch, as you get to see what they all have to do for their jobs. Sometimes they go to Paris for fashion week, or arrange parties/big events for the magazine, which really gets me interested and inspires me a great deal.
I read a lot of fashion magazines and watch a few programmes on fashion and fashion journalism (‘The Hills’), these all have made me choose what I’d like to do with my life. I would love to work for a fashion magazine, such as Vogue one day, it looks and sounds really interesting and I love the magazine. All the pictures are wonderful, which makes me think it would be great to be able to take some of my own, then write articles to go with them, or something along those lines.
I’ve started doing the Creative and Media Diploma and Media Studies as an AS and A-Level as I’m really interested in the journalism side of things as well as film and I really want to learn more about all the aspects of Media.
If I was asked to construct a media text, I would probably choose a writing piece or maybe a photography piece. I would like it to be on the fashion side of things, it could be debating for or against something or just writing about something I really like.
Charlotte Worden.
Media Studies. AS Level.
Name: Charlotte Worden
IGCSE Results: English Language – B, English Literature – C, Drama – C, Physical Education – C, Math – D. Environmental Management – D, Biology – D, Information Technology – D, Business – E.
Hobbies: Shopping, dancing, listening to music, tennis, football, basketball and socialising.
MEDIA INTERESTS:
Print Media:
I hate to admit that I don’t read many newspapers, though my parents always say it’s always a good thing to know what’s happening in the world. Now I’m a media student, I will definitely start to read more of them. When I do pick up a paper, I usually look at the Eastern Daily Press, which has a lot of news in it. It includes all the main headlines, all the sport news and fixtures and scores of matches, it has some bits about celebrities – I usually read that in magazines though – and it shows upcoming events and television times.
I love reading magazines, I usually pick one up when I’m in a shop that sells them. I usually buy Teen Vogue or just Vogue itself, as my fashion magazines are my favourite. I adore just sitting down and browsing through to see the fashion and read the articles about what’s hot and what’s not. Sometimes I read the cheap, celebrity gossip ones like Heat or OK, usually if I’m in the hairdressers, or if they’re laying around, but I don’t buy them. They have some pretty informative stories about celebrities’ personal life, which I guess can be interesting.
Radio Media:
Most of the time, I listen to the radio when I’m in the car. I don’t really listen to it for news, mostly music, although if it’s on the channels I listen to then I’ll listen sometimes. I always tune into Kiss radio first because they have good songs, but if there’s not a song on I want to hear, I’ll switch to Radio 1 or Broadland 102 to see what’s on. Sometimes the Kiss channel has gossip about or interviews with celebrities which are always interesting.
Music Industry:
When people ask me what my favourite music genre is, I don’t really know what to say. I listen to a lot of different types, but I guess I mostly listen to RnB/Hip hop, though I love so many songs from other genres too, such as Rap, Country, Pop, Punk, Alternative and probably more.
I watch a lot of music videos on television, some of the people in the video and the stars of the video wear some nice clothes. If I’m out shopping and I remember something I’ve seen in a video, I would probably look for a cheaper version of it. Or even if I see something in a shop that I saw someone in a video wearing and I thought it looked nice then I might buy it. Some people get affected by the way the stars of videos act, they may want to be like them, so they act like them, but I don’t do that. I like watching the music videos, because a lot of them have great dance moves and sequences in that I can use when I make up a dance to a song with my friends or in a class even.
Video Games:
I don’t play many video games, but when I go to my friends’ houses and they have the consoles then I will play games such as car driving, football and dance on the Playstation or golf and tennis on the Nintendo Wii. I don’t play violent games, though some of my friends do play them and it just makes them want to be aggressive, stupid and mess around, but that’s just the boys.
New Technology:
I do have access to the internet and I use it all the time. I always use messenger to talk to my friends and Skype to call them for free which is great. I use Google a lot to search for anything I need and it gives me great websites to use for things such as homework.
I think new technology is great, the internet is amazing for many things, and definitely increases communication with others as well as finding out anything you want to know. It stores so much information that is just so easy to find and increase peoples’ knowledge.
I have a mobile phone, it’s a 5610 Music Express. It’s great, I can store so many songs on it – I still haven’t reached its full capacity – It has a good camera on it, so I can take pictures in the moment I want to, I can access the internet on it too, though I tend to just keep to computers for that one, it also has a big memory to store my messages from friends on it. I love watching DVD’s, just sitting down with someone and some chocolate too is great. Digital television is brilliant, I have sky digital and it’s so good to be able to see what you’re watching what time programs start, what they’re about and even set reminders on them so you don’t forget to watch them. I also think its great when say, I’m watching music videos on television and some crazy image comes up that is surely not real and has obviously been generated by computers, it’s amazing what people can do with them these days.
Television:
I have a few favourite television channels, even though I’m sixteen I still watch some children’s channels, such as Disney channel or Nickelodeon, when there are good programmes on because they’re funny and they take up wasted time. I also watch music channels like, MTV, TFM or The Box because they always have interesting programs about celebrities on or just great music videos.
I suppose that my favourite television genre would be comedy, because some programs I watch are hilarious, but I do watch a few action or romances too.
I wouldn’t really know an amazing advertisement to say as the most entertaining, stylish, humorous or clever, but I do have a couple of them in mind that are pretty influential. First of all the stop smoking advertisements, especially the one where the children are copying the adults and pretending to smoke crayons, while playing the song with lyrics along the lines of, ‘whatever you do, I do too, because I love you’, and if I was an adult smoker with children, or with a love of children it would definitely affect me a lot. Then there’s the legendary Sheila’s Wheels that affects women that need good car insurance, as it’s all pink and has a catchy song and it’s just attractive to the women audience that it’s aiming for.
I have a few memorable television programmes, which I absolutely love. One Tree Hill is an amazing series, once I bought it I just watched them all one after the other when I wasn’t doing other things as it’s a really addicting program where you watch teenagers through high school, then after college. I also love The O.C, which is the same sort of thing, though set in a different location with different story lines. Ugly Betty is another series that is very funny and I love watching it, as it’s about a girl who starts off not fitting into her job environment as it’s a big magazine headquarters, but soon she makes things turn around and become better than before. Those are the three main ones, but I do also watch other shows such as Hannah Montana, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody and That’s So Raven.
Feature Film:
I’m always watching films, and if I really enjoy the film I will watch it again after a while. I suppose a favourite film genre would be romantic comedy, but I also enjoy action. Romantic comedies are funny as well as serious, which is really nice to have a mix of the two and they always end well somehow. Then there’s action, where you’re always alert and waiting for something to crash, bang or wallop, it’s great!
I have watched so many films in my life, I would definitely not be able to name even half of them. My favourites are The Notebook, Love Actually, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Moulin Rouge, P.S – I Love You, Chasing Liberty, Never Back Down and yes, Harry Potter and the High School Musicals, but lots more too. They all include amazing actors and actresses that star in many movies I enjoy, such as Rachel McAdams, Hugh Grant, Nicole Kidman, Sean Faris, Zac Efron and Renee Zelleweger.
I watch the majorities of films on DVD, as it’s cheaper and at home, though I do really enjoy a trip to the cinema with friends or family. So, I don’t really prefer either one, it depends on my mood. Sometimes I love to just curl up on the sofa and watch a DVD, but other times I really fancy going to the cinema and watching it on the big screen. I think that when a movie that’s been long awaited comes to the cinema, you really have to watch it there, it’s more special that way.
Well, my family moved to Thailand when I was eleven, my parents still live there, but I’ve come back for college. I’ve only been back here for almost three weeks, but when I was there I went to the cinema at the shopping mall almost every weekend, and even twice a weekend sometimes, it wasn’t very expensive there, almost two pounds a ticket. Here it’s more than double the price which is awful, but I have been to the cinema a couple of times since I’ve been back. I went to Vue in the Castle Mall and the Odeon in Riverside. I don’t think it really matter which cinema I go to, the one in Riverside is close for when I’m going out just to the cinema with family or friends, but the one in the city is convenient when we’re already out shopping, or if friends want to meet at the cinema. Both cinemas that I’ve mentioned hardly differ in comfort. I’m not sure about the price as I’ve only been twice and paid once, though in Thailand they are much cheaper. I never go to the cinema on my own, I never have, unless someone with me goes to get more snacks or goes to the toilet! Going in a group is always a laugh, and if we all really want to watch something its great. Sharing the experience with friends and family is excellent because then you can have conversations about the film and everyone will know what you’re talking about and elaborate on it.
In conclusion:
I get really offended by how magazines are all about using the size zero models. I think it looks silly when they’re so skinny that they could be anorexic, and some of them actually are. It also surprises me to see what lengths the models go to, to be featured, such as anorexia or bulimia.
I’m really interested in a programme on MTV called, ‘The Hills’. It’s a reality show about a group of friends living in America, the main character is named Lauren. Lauren starts of as being an intern for Vogue, which is something that really benefits me as I’m really into fashion journalism. She climbs up the ladder of success at Vogue, making some mistakes along the way. Her work colleagues/friends also do well there, which is entertaining to watch, as you get to see what they all have to do for their jobs. Sometimes they go to Paris for fashion week, or arrange parties/big events for the magazine, which really gets me interested and inspires me a great deal.
I read a lot of fashion magazines and watch a few programmes on fashion and fashion journalism (‘The Hills’), these all have made me choose what I’d like to do with my life. I would love to work for a fashion magazine, such as Vogue one day, it looks and sounds really interesting and I love the magazine. All the pictures are wonderful, which makes me think it would be great to be able to take some of my own, then write articles to go with them, or something along those lines.
I’ve started doing the Creative and Media Diploma and Media Studies as an AS and A-Level as I’m really interested in the journalism side of things as well as film and I really want to learn more about all the aspects of Media.
If I was asked to construct a media text, I would probably choose a writing piece or maybe a photography piece. I would like it to be on the fashion side of things, it could be debating for or against something or just writing about something I really like.
Charlotte Worden.
Media Studies. AS Level.
Film Reviews. Jaws. Vacancy. The Happening. When a Stranger Calls. The Invasion.
Name of film: Jaws
Director: Steven Spielberg
Date when film released: 1 January 1976 (UK)
Country where made: USA
Awards: Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins and 13 nominations.
Copy of a review: ‘Far from being a monster movie, this is a realistic and gritty example of a town which relies on summer trade having its beaches invaded by a dangerous shark. There are genuinely suspenseful sequences, a first-rate soundtrack and believable people. The character development of the three men in the boat shows there's a lot more to this film than just a rubber fin. I'd recommend this and Jaws 2 to any fan of drama/thrillers.’
My Opinion: I agree with that comment, it seems like a something that could happen in real life, really thrilling.
Male/Female ratings out of 10: Males voted 8.4
Females voted 8.0
Why: I think that male rating is higher than female rating as it is a violent film.
My rating out of 10: 6. This film was made quite well, I remember watching it when I was younger and I got quite scared but really enjoyed watching it as it made the adrenaline race.
Name of film: Vacancy
Director: Nimród Antal
Date when film released: 15 June 2007 (UK)
Country where made: USA
Awards: 1 nomination for teen choice awards.
Copy of a review: ‘What a thriller is supposed to be: tension, suspense, and jump-out-of-your-seat scares’
My Opinion: I agree with this short, yet straight to the point review on Vacancy. There was a lot of tension in the movie, and I screamed a couple of times.
Male/Female ratings out of 10: Males voted 6.3
Females voted 6.5
Why: As this film is about a couple, I think females like it more as show a small parts of romance, and the man trying to save is girlfriends life, though there isn’t much difference in the vote.
My rating out of 10: 7. I found this a scary film, it really freaked me out !
Name of film: The Happening
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Date when film released: 13 June 2008 (UK)
Country where made: USA/ India
Awards: Not shown on website.
Copy of a review: ‘"The Happening" is about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large scale threat to humanity. The side effects of this phenomenon are "Unintelligible speech," "physical distortion," and "death." Overall, this is my least favourite M. Night Shyamalan movie. At first, my family and I thought that it felt rushed; it felt like Night was rushing through the writing process to get the movie made. But after hearing that it's supposed to be a B movie, that changed my view. But I still look at it as it is. But it's still good, and it gives the message out, which is always good.
And don't take your kids, it's very graphic.’
My Opinion: I disagree with this comment at the beginning, but nearer the end I would agree. I wasn’t as pleased with the movie as I thought I would be, but it was interesting.
Male/Female ratings out of 10: Males voted 5.3
Females voted 5.5
Why: The votes are fairly level here, it’s a pretty gory movie, but there’s logic to it aswell.
My rating out of 10: 5. I didn’t think this was too interesting, it was made quite well and shocked me a lot of times. Though it was very repetitive and bored me in parts.
Name of film: When a Stranger Calls
Director: Simon West
Date when film released: 12th May 2006 (UK)
Country where made: USA
Awards: 1 nomination
Copy of a review: Critics and audiences both pretty much panned this movie, but I actually didn't think it was too bad! Even the critics I normally agree with thought it was crap, and I normally despise PG-13 "horror films." So this means one of two things: either (1) I'm too easily pleased, and my taste in movies has dwindled over the years, or (2) 'When a Stranger Calls' isn't nearly as horrible as it's made out to be. Now, to be fair, some of the criticisms of the movie are true--there's not much character development, and not much happens in the story. But man alive folks, how much were you expecting from a movie about a babysitter being stalked? Cut them some slack! As a former babysitter who was watching this flick late at night with the lights out, I can safely say the stalker dude was one creepy mofo! Who knows? I guess stuff like this just gives me the willies.Yes, I admit I had fun watching this, and I don't care how big of a minority that puts me in. ;)
Male/Female ratings out of 10: Males voted 4.7
Females voted 5.0
Why: This is quite an evenly spread vote as it’s the kind of film that would appeal to a wide range of audiences. I think the females have voted a bit higher because the lead is a girl, and shows what it would be like if they themselves were to be put in this crazy position.
My rating out of 10: 5. This movie scared me a lot. I do get scared easily and I’m always screaming when small things make me jump, but this movie made me jump too many times to be honest. Though it was very gripping and some parts were well thought up and just right for a thriller.
Name of film: The Invasion
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Date when film released: 12 October 2007 (UK)
Country where made: USA/Australia
Awards: 1 nomination
Copy of a review: We went to see this last night. After all of the horrific reviews, I was expecting it to be awful. I was pleasantly surprised. While not to say it was an AWESOME movie or anything. It was good Sci Fi fun. I get irritated when a lot of movie buffs are looking for every film to be a Gone with the Wind or something. This was just a fun, smooth, entertaining production. I've never been a real fan of Nicole kidman, but I must say, she was quite fetching in this movie. If you are looking for the 50's version of War of the Worlds..The forbidden planet..John Carpenter's the THING...etc..it doesn't qualify. If you are looking for a fun Sci Fi Thriller to watch, it does the job.
Male/Female ratings out of 10: Males voted 6.1
Females voted 6.3
Why: Again, this movie has a female lead, and though it wouldn’t happen in reality it shows females what it would be like to be in this situation. Also a lot of girls and woman look up to Nicole Kidman so they want to watch it and they like it.
My rating out of 10: 5. I didn’t enjoy this movie greatly. I thought it was okay, but nothing I would recommend or watch again by choice. It wasn’t too action packed it was quite grotesque and I just didn’t find it that great. Though a lot of people do like that sort of thing, I don’t particularly.
Notes on 'Kill Bill 2' and 'Pshyco'.
Kill Bill 2- Tarantino
We watched sections of this movie in class, and saw how Tarantino uses thriller signifiers in this action adventure martial arts film.
Sequence: The Brides Burial. In the opening to Kill Bill 2 Tarantino uses two Intertextual references to Hitchcock’s ‘Pshyco’ (1960).
One reference is the soundtrack and two is the close up of the bride driving her car, this refers to Marion Crane leaving town with stolen money.
Why has Tarantino used these references?
To intensify suspense
To indicate the bride’s anger
To flatter the audience
To use it as a tribute to Hitchcock, from himself.
Pshyco – Alfred Hitchcock – 1960
After watching parts of ‘Kill Bill 2’ we watched part way through ‘Pshyco’. Hitchcock uses this film as a tribute to 1940s noir thrillers.
The soundtrack is extremely dominant. The establishing shot is a crane shot of a city, an anchored place, Pheonix, Arizona. The date is shown in this shot and is often referred back to later on. Then comes a point of view shot, where the audience is watching from, a peeping tom. The cinema is voyeuristic, the zoom into the hotel bedroom window connotes this.
A helpful word to use relating to this type of film is:
Misogynist – fear of hatred of woman.
Femme fatale is a deviant manipulative woman usually misogynist constructs.
The hotel at the start of this film is a cheap hotel, showing the unglamorous location.
The scene in the hotel shows that men have the most social status, playing the woman down.
Marion Crane after she’d left the office, is wearing black underwear where as it was white in the opening sequence.
Marion in black underwear indicates that her moral descent has plunged. Marion has been tempted by the money because she thinks happiness will buy her love from her lover.
We watched sections of this movie in class, and saw how Tarantino uses thriller signifiers in this action adventure martial arts film.
Sequence: The Brides Burial. In the opening to Kill Bill 2 Tarantino uses two Intertextual references to Hitchcock’s ‘Pshyco’ (1960).
One reference is the soundtrack and two is the close up of the bride driving her car, this refers to Marion Crane leaving town with stolen money.
Why has Tarantino used these references?
To intensify suspense
To indicate the bride’s anger
To flatter the audience
To use it as a tribute to Hitchcock, from himself.
Pshyco – Alfred Hitchcock – 1960
After watching parts of ‘Kill Bill 2’ we watched part way through ‘Pshyco’. Hitchcock uses this film as a tribute to 1940s noir thrillers.
The soundtrack is extremely dominant. The establishing shot is a crane shot of a city, an anchored place, Pheonix, Arizona. The date is shown in this shot and is often referred back to later on. Then comes a point of view shot, where the audience is watching from, a peeping tom. The cinema is voyeuristic, the zoom into the hotel bedroom window connotes this.
A helpful word to use relating to this type of film is:
Misogynist – fear of hatred of woman.
Femme fatale is a deviant manipulative woman usually misogynist constructs.
The hotel at the start of this film is a cheap hotel, showing the unglamorous location.
The scene in the hotel shows that men have the most social status, playing the woman down.
Marion Crane after she’d left the office, is wearing black underwear where as it was white in the opening sequence.
Marion in black underwear indicates that her moral descent has plunged. Marion has been tempted by the money because she thinks happiness will buy her love from her lover.
There are a lot of close ups in this movie as it adds to the tension. A lot of silence then sudden sounds are used too. There are shots looking into the car mirror as if you're Marion looking back at the car following her.
When she is holding the money to pay for the new car, close ups are used to emphasise this moment.
There are voiceovers while she is driving, playing over discussions that are maybe being held by her family, co workers and boss. We never know if they actually happened or if its just echoing her guilt.
Norman Bates is a creepy loner.
In a couple shots he is standing infront of a bird, so the wings are either side of him, making it look as if he himself has wings too.
Birds are seen as passive, and so is Marion.
Marion Crane.
Crane = Bird.
Stuffed birds anticipate her fate, death/mortality and the paralysis of freedom.
Bates tells Crane she eats like a bird. Strange thing to say to someone, she finds him a bit scary.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Audience Research Questionnaire
1. Which age group do you fit into?
[15 – 20] [21 – 30] [31 +]
2. What is your gender?
[Male] [Female]
3. What is your occupation?
[Student] [Worker] [In further education]
4. How often do you watch films?
[Every day] [Once a week] [Once a month] [Other. Please fill in your answer below]…………………………………………….
5. Where would you rather watch films?
[Home] [Cinema]
6. Which gender would you rather see in the lead role?
[Male] [Female] [Don’t mind]
7. Which type of thriller would you prefer?
[Psychological e.g. dead ringers][Action e.g. Bourne films][Crime e.g. Resevoir Dogs][Horror e.g. The Silence of The Lambs][Supernatural e.g. Carrie]
8. Do you prefer to watch a film in black and white or colour?
[Black and White] [Colour]
[15 – 20] [21 – 30] [31 +]
2. What is your gender?
[Male] [Female]
3. What is your occupation?
[Student] [Worker] [In further education]
4. How often do you watch films?
[Every day] [Once a week] [Once a month] [Other. Please fill in your answer below]…………………………………………….
5. Where would you rather watch films?
[Home] [Cinema]
6. Which gender would you rather see in the lead role?
[Male] [Female] [Don’t mind]
7. Which type of thriller would you prefer?
[Psychological e.g. dead ringers][Action e.g. Bourne films][Crime e.g. Resevoir Dogs][Horror e.g. The Silence of The Lambs][Supernatural e.g. Carrie]
8. Do you prefer to watch a film in black and white or colour?
[Black and White] [Colour]
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
my first blog !!
hiyaaa.
this is my first blog, just to set it all up :D
woop woop.
im going to be posting all my media studies work on here.
SO. watch this space !
Charlotte
x
this is my first blog, just to set it all up :D
woop woop.
im going to be posting all my media studies work on here.
SO. watch this space !
Charlotte
x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
