Project Research - Location

Locations

The Hogsmill River

The forest near the hogsmill river is a great location for a horror movie because it features both enclosed and open areas which gives us freedom in the shots we use.

Ebbisham Park

Ebbisham Park will be a suitable area for our short movie. This is because it is an open ground which includes shady/dark forest areas that can be used to add to the scenes.

Ashley Road Deep-level Shelter

This bunker is private property but with permission from the land owner we may be able to film in this shelter, its a very large maze of corridors and rooms which works perfectly for a horror movie.

It is currently owned by 'Elite Action Games Epsom' so we would have to ask permission to film there.

Film Studio - Walt Disney Studios

Walt Disney Studios

Walt Disney Studios is one of the most powerful movie studios currently active, they don't opt for buying small independent projects from smaller studios, they mainly create their own movies and buy studios to develop popular franchises.

Disney Studios bought Marvel Studios in 2009 and have continued to advance the many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Franchise.

Lucasfilm was acquired in October 2012 by Disney in a deal that cost $4.05 billion dollars. This included all Star Wars movie rights, merchandising and most other rights. The Force Awakens made over $2 billion at the box office with 5 more confirmed movies being released from 2016 to 2021.

Film Studio - Warner Bros

Warner Bros

Warner Bros Studios was formed in 1918 by Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner with official incorporation of the company in 1923.


Warner Bros started the trend of films using 'synchronized sound' which we take for granted nowadays as it is standard. It is the use of sound that is synchronised with the actors on the screen, usually pairing speech with the actors.

Warner Bros owns the movie rights to popular franchises including DC Comics characters, Harry Potter, The Hobbit.
This is a very good way to make a profitable movie because the audience has already been established and can be opened to many new audiences as well.

Some of their most popular franchises include the Dark Knight Trilogy, the Harry Potter Series and The Hobbit Trilogy.

Film Studio - Paramount

Paramount

Paramount was founded in 1912 by William W. Hodkinson, Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky.

Paramount started to garner real success during 1921 to 1930, creating a chain of theatre screens across the US to see movies.


In 1994, media conglomerate Viacom bought Paramount for 9.75 billion dollars.

Some of their most highly grossing movies include Titanic (the second highest grossing movie of all time) and the Transformers movies.

Film Studio - 20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox was founded in 1935 and is one of the most well known film studios.

It is a big player in the film industry because it owns the movie rights to the 'X-Men' and 'The Fantastic Four', as well as owning mini-major studios such as Dreamworks.

Along with movie distribution, 20th Century Fox also make TV Shows and own Fox News.

Film Studio - Universal

Universal

Universal is one of the oldest film studios still around today, it was founded in 1912 by Karl Lammle.
Today it is owned by Comcast.

Their most financially successful movies are Jurassic World, Furious 7, Minions and Jurassic Park.

Movie Rating Systems

Movie Certifications

There are two different movie rating systems for the UK and the US, BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) for the UK and MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) for the US.

BBFC

The BBFC was formed in 1912 and classifies all movies released in the UK, there are 7 ratings, U, PG, 12, 12A, 15, 18 and R18...

U (Universal)

Movies classified as U will be family friendly with a positive message and little violence involved. Aimed at children 4 years old and over.

PG (Parental Guidance)

Parental Guidance films should be suitable for children 8 years old or over but is up to the parents to decide whether or not the film is suitable for the children.

12 and 12A

12 rated films are not allowed to be viewed by any person under the age of 12 whilst 12A films are similar to PG in which the decision for a child under 12 to watch is at the parent's discretion.

15

These films are only allowed to be viewed by people aged 15 and up, usually have occasional violence or sexual content.

18

18 films are only suitable for ages 18 and over for their frequent sexual content or graphic violence and offensive themes and language.

Mini-Major Studio Analysis - Dreamworks

Dreamworks, a Mini-Major Studio

Dreamworks is a primarily animation focused mini-major studio known for its family friendly but boundary crossing movies.

Dreamworks was founded in 1994 making live-action movies but now primarily focuses on animation since the success of their first animated movie 'Antz'.

Their next 3D Animated movie was 'Shrek' which was released in 2001 to huge commercial success cementing their place as one of the biggest computer animation studios.

Whilst not having the huge budget that Disney Studios have they are still a big contender and make high quality movies to the standard of Disney.

Film Studios

What are Film Studios?

Film studios are companies that produce and distribute films, sometimes they only buy the distribution rights to a completed movie because they have the money to advertise it.

There are six major film studios currently still active, Universal, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Disney Studios, Warner Bros and Columbia.

These companies have been around for many decades, some even over a century and hold a monopoly over movie distribution.
Because of how much money they have to spend on advertisements, these major studios overshadow the smaller studios trying to make a break with their movies so publishing rights are usually negotiated with these major studios for a percentage of the profit.

Codes and Conventions of The Romance Genre

Codes and Conventions of The Romance Genre

Camera shots & Techniques

• Close-ups often used to show the emotions of the characters.
• Long shots of environment used to show tranquility and peace.

Symbolic (Clothing & colours)

• Red is symbolic of love and helps to subconsciously trigger emotions within the audience.

Written and Audio

• Relaxing, often orchestral soundtracks are used to create a peaceful atmosphere which relates to how the characters are feeling in the scene.

In the opening for 'The Notebook', red is used exclusively because of its correlation to love and passion.

Opening Analysis - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Intro Analysis - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 begins with the logo for Spider-Man which transitions into him falling from the sky with the camera following close behind, this is done to make the audience feel the speed at which he is falling and feel like you are in his position.

A powerful non-diegetic score of brass instruments creates a feel of grandeur, to show the 'amazing' abilities of Spider-Man.

The next shot is a ground-level view that follows Spider-Man in the frame but stays in the same position to give the effect of the audience being a pedestrian watching as he swings through the air.

Later on a medium shot is used to show the hijacker and Spider-Man up close, this shot is mainly dialogue to establish Spider-Man's cocky personality and is also shown through his movements.

A close-up shot is used to show the plutonium and the robber in the same shot by having the camera behind the plutonium but in front of the robber, this type of view is an artistic way to reduce the amount of necessary shots and shows the expression of the robber.

Codes and Conventions of Coming of Age Movies

Codes and Conventions of Coming of Age Movies

Coming of age movies focus on the troubles and obstacles of growing up, usually with a resolution at the end but can differ per movie.

Camera shots & techniques

• Long takes due to long dialogue scenes, creates dramatic effect because it allows the audience to focus on the characters emotions for longer.
• Close up shots are used to show the characters face when speaking, this also directs the audiences attention to the characters emotions.

Symbolic (Clothing and colours)

• Typical clothes are used to get the audience to relate to the character more because they seem more human.

Written and audio

• Score type usually varies depending on the mood that the scene shows, fast and high pitched for tense action and slow and low pitch for sad scenes.

Codes and Conventions of Action Movies

Codes and Conventions of Action Movies

Camera shots & Techniques

• Quick cuts
• Close-up shots for effect
• Long shots to show the scene

Symbolic (Clothing & colours)

• Clean clothes to start, scruffy and dirty at the end
• Blood to show they are strong

Written and Audio

• Very audible impacts, diegetic sounds amplified for effect
• Fast paced score

Intro Analysis - Casino Royale (2006)

Intro Analysis - Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale begins with a low angle wide shot, establishing where the scene takes place, the scene is mostly static until a car drives into the frame which singles it out so that the audience focuses on it.

A medium shot at a low angle is used to show the man exiting the car so that you can easily see his face, his eyes dart around the scene showing his anxiousness, the low angle places the audience in a position below his eye level which gives a feeling that we as the audience are spying on him.

As the man is walking, a diagonal camera pan is used to subtly track him as he moves.

To create dramatic effect, an over the shoulder shot is used when Dryden turns to face Bond, it is used to give the audience the same view Dryden has in the moment.

Music has been extremely quiet from the beginning of the film, with mostly diegetic sounds being heard such as dialogue. The colour pallet is black and white with colours staying dark, adding to the sense of mystery and unknowing.

This is broken by a sudden scene change into a brutal fight in a bathroom with a loud score of trombones and resonating diegetic sounds of dividers being broken and punching impacts amplified. The colour pallet, whilst still black and white now uses much a much higher contrast white so that the scene can be differentiated from the current events.
Quick camera cuts emphasise the action by creating confusion because the audience cannot focus on one element for long.

A top down camera shot is used in the scene to show the destruction more effectively because the audience can see everything that has been destroyed.

Intro Analysis - The Woman in Black (2012)

Intro Analysis - The Woman in Black (2012)

The Woman in Black opens with an eerie and unsettling tone, caused by the lack of diegetic sound and a simple non-diegetic score.

Close-up shots are used to block the audiences view and limit what they can see, it helps make the audience feel vulnerable because they don't have a peripheral view of their surroundings.

The non-diegetic score which is simplistic and slow, gives the scene a sense of mystery and prompts the audience to expect something sinister and dramatic.

A medium long shot is used when the girls turn their heads towards whatever is behind the camera, the shot is used to focus on the three children in the centre of the shot and shows that they are vulnerable from the use of high camera angles looking down on them. The children are looking past the camera which makes the audience feel like something is behind them, unknowing of what is behind the camera keeps the scene tense through the use of an enigma.

When the girls turn to face the windows a new shot is used for dramatic pacing, the next shot slowly zooms in on the windows highlighting their significance in the scene.

As they are standing up many shots are used in a short amount of time to signify the importance of the event.

The mise-en-scene with a playful tone shifts to a more sinister tone as they walk towards the window, unaware of the toys that they were transfixed by moments before, close-up shots of the toys being crushed shows the extent to which the children are being controlled.

The children all approach the windows and grab the handles in unison, this creates an abnormal feel to their movement and tells us that they are being controlled by whoever they were looking at.

An extreme close-up shot is used on the handle when the girl opens the window which is a match-on-action shot, highlighting a significant point

Once they jump there is a pause and the music stops, leaving only the diegetic sound of the mother screaming as the camera pans out revealing the Woman in Black.

Genre Conventions in film

Film Genre Conventions

Films have general themes and conventions that define them as a certain genre, below are some examples of films and conventions

Genre	Genre conventions, narrative and characters	Genre conventions: Micro-elements (sound, mise-en scene etc)	Film examples
Action	Chase scenes, explosions, villain and hero, conflict, fight scenes, masculine characters	Guns, gadgets, iconic settings such as city areas and landmarks, score often used	James Bond, Avengers Assemble
Horror	Jump scares, build up, gore, suspense, uncertainty, scary antagonist, usually less dialogue than other films	Usually set in one location, remote places	Silence of the Lambs, Alien
Romance	Young characters, lots of dialogue	Nice looking locations. Relaxing soundtrack	The Notebook,
Comedy	Light tone to the film, laughing, funny situations, crude humor	Casual soundtracks usually not a score	Pineapple Express, 21 Jump Street
Adventure	Masculine characters,	Distant rural locations, discovery/finding something or someone, score often used	Indiana Jones, Star Wars

Intro Analysis - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sequel to the 2011 movie 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' and follows the tribe of genetically modified apes 20 years after the simian flu spreads across the globe.

The film begins with a close-up shot of Caeser the leader of the apes, the type of shot chosen establishes him as one of the main characters and shows the look of anger on his face to show how he has changed since the first movie.

A low shot looking up at the apes in the canopies of the forest shows that they hold power and places the audience in a position below the ape species, signifying their rapid evolution over the past 20 years.

Digetic sounds such as the ape's roar resonating throughout the forest portrays the apes as fearsome hunters.

The camera then pans into a position in the herd of deer and follows them through their panicked flee, once again placing the audience or the human species as a whole below the apes in status.

Depth of field is used when the camera is looking at Caeser's son so that you can't see the bear before it strikes, this is used for dramatic effect and helps to give the audience the same reaction that Caeser's son would have had.

Caeser's son's body language towards his father establishes the conflicted relationship they have, it is important to use medium shots for this encounter so that their hands can be seen and emotions can be read. Their faces are shown in separate shots which symbolises their conflicted relationship because they are never seen in the same frame.

A long shot is used to fully capture the tribe of apes travelling back to the base, some are riding on horseback and some on foot, this tells us there is a hierarchy system in the tribe and highlights how evolved they have become.

An abandoned and mossy petrol station is seen as they are travelling which introduces the post-apocalyptic setting.

A long shot pan shows a birds eye view of the base with the apes visible below giving a sense of scale to the structure.

Overall I think the opening does an excellent job of presenting the world that is left and establishes some important relationships and characters whilst also showing us the lifestyle the apes have adapted to.

Intro Analysis - Apocalypse Now (1979)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

The introduction to Apocalypse Now is a very well constructed sequence, it shows imagery to symbolise the impact of the Vietnam war on soldiers in a calm but moving way.

The film opens on a backdrop of a Vietnam jungle, instead of an immediate cut to the shot it fades in from black into a silent and calm image of the palm trees blowing in the wind.

A helicopter passes with a low sound of the propeller, it is the first sign of disruption on the calm backdrop. The music starts quietly with breaks in between a quiet guitar and a tambourine.

The singer begins singing at the moment the jungle is firebombed symbolising the intervention of the military/man. The sound of flames is non-existent and the feeling of the sequence is still calm, this is done to show how the war normalises this image for the soldiers. The camera also starts panning, showing the extent and the scale of the damage.

The scene is faded with a shot of a man's face, filmed upside down and a ceiling fan spinning around implying that the man is looking up at the ceiling fan, which is juxtaposed against the helicopters flying past. It shows us that he has been changed by the war and cannot forget the things he has seen in everyday life. His face is filmed upside down because it is a metaphor for how his view on the world has been flipped.

The camera cuts to a new position and is moving across his room, starting at the possessions on his bedside table and panning across his face to the other table, revealing the bottles of alcohol and cigarettes and the gun on his bed.

The scene closes on the same shot of his face and the ceiling fan, the propeller noises that have quietly played throughout the sequence now increase in volume leading to a single shot of the fan as the only thing in the frame.

The final shot shows how throughout the sequence he has been trying to distract himself from the visions of the war and now that he has, it still shows up in everyday objects, showing us that he cannot escape what he has seen.

Trailer Analysis - Alien (1979)

Alien (1979)

Alien is one of my favorite movies of all time, the sense of mystery shown in the trailer pulls you in straight away.

The low rumble sound and emptiness of space immediately gives a sense of loneliness.

The establishing shot of the planet and the egg shows us what the danger is right away, whilst also slowly revealing the movie title.

As quick cuts are made alternating from a pan of the planets surface to close ups of the egg the alarm sound gets ever more prominent, the egg hatches revealing a bright light indicating a sense of mystery.

The hatching of the egg leads to shots of the ships discovery which shows that the hatching of the egg is an important event in the movie.

The shots switch back and forth alternating between Ripley running and the ships discovery, linking the discovery of the ship as the reason why Ripley is running.

The quick cuts and rising volume of the alarm build up to the climax of the trailer with a tsunami of noise and violent images in total chaos, its an overwhelming attack on the senses which is abruptly stopped by a cut to the Nostromo, silently drifting through space.

The final shot shows us how far from anyones help they are, backed up by the famous line.

"In space no one can hear you scream"