RESEARCH | SCOOP IT; Horror film codes & conventions

9/09/14 |  RESEARCH | SCOOP IT; Horror film codes & conventions

Today I wanted to research genre so I used a very useful online tool called scoop it. This is a good tool because it is interactive which means it makes suggestions about the subject that I am interested in and it is a useful place to collate your research.

PLANNING | THE BRIEF

9/10/14 |  PLANNING | THE BRIEF

I am working in a group of three pupils with Oliver Davis, Charlie Walker, and Robert Tann. We have chosen Brief 7 (video), the opening sequence of a new film including titles, in any genre or mix of genres such as a comedy or thriller together with a storyboard. Maximum length: three minutes.

The plot of our film opening focuses on a woman who awakes from a blackout at her boyfriends house and hears a news report on the TV about a dealy virus circulating. She then finds her boyfriend dead in his bed and tries to hide the body, and it ends with knocking on the door.

ZEN ANALYSIS

9/09/14 |  RESEARCH | TV FILM OPENING ANALYSIS

We watched the opening to a BBC Drama called Zen. It was obvious that this was a crime drama because it efficiently establishes its genre, locations, themes and tone right from the start of the program.

The crime genre is established through the iconography including guns, other firearms, and the position of the ‘Questura’, the police headquarters.

Italianicity is conveyed through repeated pictures on the screen with a wash of the colours of the Italian flag: red, white, green.

PRODUCTION PORTFOLIO: 'Art Of The Title'

10/09/14 |  RESEARCH | THE ART OF THE TITLE; Detectives

We accessed ‘art of the title’ website analysed the opening to a French detective series called ‘Détectives’. We went through each shot identifying how this opening identifies its genre. It is easily identified as a TV opening as the opening is going at a fast pace and show the characters in the programme, films on the other hand are a lot more relaxed with the length of the titles as they do not need to rush into the programme they can build tension up for the film.
The location is identified immediately as you find yourself on a ride through les rues de Paris via a Google Streetview-style interface. The soundtrack also states; “I made it to the city of lights”- the city of lights is a nickname for Paris.

We can tell that it is a detective genre not only by the name but by all the information and graphics thrown at you in the opening sequence e.g. passport photos and information about (a possible suspect/victims) parents.

12/09/14 |  RESEARCH | THE ART OF THE TITLE 2; Sherlock Holmes

We accessed the ‘art of the title’ website and we watched the film opening to Sherlock Holmes which I really enjoyed. We know that this opening is set in Victorian times as the colour palette is very bleak and monochromatic. One main colour/effect is sepia which connotes Victorian photographic methods. The titles are all presented in cursive handwriting using pen and ink wash that gives our eyes to visual noise which is presented by the splatters around the different pages which also gives the photographs a foxed and mildewed look. CGI is used here to make the graphics morph very cleverly into three different styles; still photograph which is clearly taken from the moving image and then it morphs into a pen and ink wash drawing which is re-animated and the process is in reverse, this then cycles throughout the opening sequence. The soundtrack gives the opening a really tense feeling.

9/10/14 |  RESEARCH | THE ART OF THE TITLE 3; Mission Impossible

I accessed the art of the title website and found the opening sequence to Mission Impossible. I can tell that this is an action sequence as a fuse is being lit which is trigger for action sequences. Scenes from the film flash on and off of the screen, also being distributed with metal like credits that shine with speed and urgency. The fuse then sparks at the end of the title sequence which causes the title of the film to come onto the screen in big, bold letters.

SPY KIDS: Q3

Q3) Discuss the representations in the extract.
       Refer to stereotypes in your answer.
       Use examples from the extract.

You might consider the representation of:

• gender
• race and nationality
• spies
• family, love and marriage

Love and marriage

Gregorio and Ingrid’s wedding is an anti-stereotype of most modern marriages. Firstly because Ingrid is not wearing the traditional white gown, but she is instead wearing a more golden colour. Secondly, the guests seem very normal but that’s what spies have to act like- normal. They are wearing very gorgeous gowns and clean cut suits and wearing sunglasses which also make them look like spies as well. Most weddings do not have secret agents waiting to rescue the bride and groom from a helicopter attack providing them, very quickly, with parachutes which they jump over the cliff edge in a plan to escape.

Gender and family

Ingrid is a stereotypical mother because she is loving and caring to her children. For example, she is telling her daughter her love story as a bed time story. This is produced in a cosy happy scene which is typically known in many households with young children. However, Ingrid breaks her stereotype motherly side because she hides the fact that she is really a high skilled, notorious secret agent from them.

SPY KIDS: Q1

Q1: Explain two ways the narrative (characters and events) in the extract fits the action genre.

       Use examples from the extract.

This extract is a hybrid of spies and childrens story in the action and adventure genre.

One AA convention used in the extract is spectacle. An example of this is when Ingrid and Gregorio are on top of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is in Paris and Paris is the city of love and the city of light. This fits in well with the scene showed in the extract as Gregorio has just slid the ring box across to Ingrid which shows his spy-like skills. The scene is very romantic as they are on top of the Eiffel Tower and they are both wearing very galamorous evening gowns, this connotes the fact that Paris is the city of love. When Ingrid opens the ring box fireworks go off in the background which connotes Paris to be the city of light.

Another AA convention used in the extract is the characters as there is a clear antagonist and protagonist in this extract. The story is told from Ingrid, the mother’s, point of view which positions the viewer as sympathetic to her and she is also positioned as a heroic protagonist because of this. At first, Gregorio is shown as the antagonist as Ingrid’s mission is to ‘take him out’ which suggests he is the enemy. However when they look into each other’s eyes in the lift of the hotel he refuses to kill Ingrid and then joins her side on the protagonist side and therefore becoming one himself. Having an antagonist and a protagonist is a typical convention of the action and adventure genre, as there is an idea of good vs evil.

SOCIAL STEREOTYPES

The media industry uses many stereotypes so that it’s easier for the audience to get more of a grasp on the films story line. The audience are given these stereotypes so they can make connections with them. One example of a stereotype is presenting the women as the weaker sex and if they are by chance the protagonist then they are quite attractive so it allows the audience to become very attached to them. The antagonists are usually presented as devious and cunning so that the audience could easily tell them apart from the protagonist.