Test Shots

This is the first footage we have got for our OTS. Due to a lack of supplies, the footage is somewhat shaky and not to the standards we are looking for. Therefore, I used the footage as a test for an editing technique needed for our OTS, which is the sepia effect described in the OTS description post. After much time experimenting with the sepia effect and levels on iMovie HD, I came to the conclusion that the effect seen in this footage is the effect I would like to be prominent in our OTS.

OTS production: Initial OTS pitch presentation

First Draft Storyboard for OTS

basic first plan for OTS

the effect of silence in OTS

In my OTS I will use silence to create effect and tension for the audience.
I've taken this idea from a modern film called The Artist. The Artist focuses mainly on expression and music which would usually only be in the background if dialogue was used, I like this because it creates more tension and also the effect of mystery it will have on the audience links well with the effect of mystery which the plot and the characters have already started.

iconography associated with film noir

Women:
For the femme fatal the iconography is usually the colour red: red nails, red lipstick and red dress. her clothing is usually formal but sexy. Black and white colouring is often used for the femme fatal to represent mystery and danger.
For the girl next door the iconography is usually pure, the colour white is used a lot and the girls usually have blonde hair. This is to fit the image of an angel to emulate innocence and care.

Smoking is also an iconic mark in film noir. It can be used to show risk and danger, and also helps the lighting look better.

For our OTS
We will be using the iconography associated with the femme fatal character by showing her smoking, dressing her in dark clothes and using a fur coat. As you can see from the image above, the femme fatal is holding fur which would represent class and the setting of an older film. Further more, there will be a heavy accentuation on the red lipstick the femme fatal will wear.

film noir and women

Film noir first came into the public eye in the early 1940s. This was a time when the position of women and men were changing, due to the war and the shift in expectations in gender. The two main roles for women in film noir is the femme fatal and the girl next door, This is mainly due to how men saw women as more dangerous and successful and it shows how many men feared and disliked the concept of a woman doing well and so they generally make the successful woman the bad one and the more needy, kind female the good one.

In our OTS
We will be showing the female gender as dangerous and mysterious. Our only female character will be the have the femme fatal personality because we thing it signifies the idea of Film Noir more, also it will make the OTS more interesting and by having a dangerous character it makes the audience want to watch more than just the opening.

key elements of OTS sheet

shot list for OTS

description of scene for OTS

this is an image of initial idea I have created for our OTS. The plot will be as follows:
a man gets involved with a woman who proves to be very dangerous. the woman turns out to be a person who goes around from man to man leaching off of them, and then once she's done she arranges for their murder. the audience don't know who has murdered the man in the first scene but that links to the mystery of the sequence.

Juxtaposition within Film Noir

Women:

The Femme Fatal. The name given is French for 'dangerous woman' and that is exactly how she is in film noir. She's usually the symbol of risk and sexuality and usually gets involved with the hero (see below). Her iconography includes red lipstick, provocative clothing and cigarettes.

The Girl Next Door. This woman is usually seen as the ideal woman, she's usually kind and innocent to an extent. She represents salvation, honour, courage and sacrifice in film noir and she's usually the love interest for the hero. Her iconography includes blonde hair and natural colours and whites.

Men:

The Anti-Hero. The anti-hero is usually the main character. Usually male, he is a good guy with something wrong about him, whether that be a drug addiction, the loss of someone close to them, or a personality trait triggered by something in their life.
Villain. The villain is usually fighting against the hero for something. This character is another of the main ones and is usually a man.

Others include, the hero, sidekick and extras.

In our OTS
We will be using the femme fatal character and the anti-hero. Iconography for both will be used, the femme fatal will be wearing red lipstick, a fur coat and will be smoking, as will the anti- hero. The anti hero will be dressed in a less conventional costume as our OTS isn't set in the 50's, so he will be wearing a Harrington jacket and jeans.

How to target an audience

Film businesses often target audience by occupation, gender, age or social factors.
For example children's toys are advertised at a time when children would be watching the TV and they're usually on children's TV channels.

James Bond is marketed at a male audience, usually of any age because it has things which younger people will appreciate, like over the top action with extreme car chases, and also has the more mature issues like women and sex.

Certificate Ratings - BBCF research

Certificate Ratings- What are they?

They're designed to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. 

Why Have Them?

One purpose of doing so is that parents can decide whether something is suitable to watch with their children.
Another is so that cinemas can moderate which audience's are viewing which films and that those films match the person's age and maturity.
The main point in having them is so that younger children don't get exposed to mature adult content, of which a younger audience may not be able to handle or understand.

Who decides Certificate Ratings?

The BBFC rates cinema and videos. They've been doing so since 1913 and although the rating they give on films is not law binding, British cinemas generally stick closely to the policy of ratings and a young person may often be asked for proof of age if deemed younger than the rating.

The Ratings that are usually given: 

• Uc (Universal Children) Suitable for all, but especially for children under 4. Used for video only. Retired in 2009.
• U (Universal) Suitable for all. (The board states that while they cannot predict what might upset a particular child, a 'U' film should be suitable for audiences aged 4 and older).
• PG (Parental Guidance) General viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. (It is the board's policy that movies rated 'PG' should not disturb a child of about 8 years of age or older; however, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset young or more sensitive children).
• 12A (12 Accompanied/Advisory) Recommended for 12 years and older. People under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult. (Exclusively for cinema, '12A' was first implemented on The Bourne Identity and, contrary to popular belief, not on Spider-Man, which was first released months before, under the previously fully restrictive 12 certificate, and then immediately re-released to take advantage of the new guidelines).
• 12 Recommended for 12 years and older. Anybody under 12 may see it, as long as parents of guardians say they can. Nobody younger than 12 may rent or buy a '12' rated video. (Until 31 August 2002, this mandatory certificate used to apply to cinema exhibitions as well).
• 15 Suitable only for 15 years and older. Nobody younger than 15 may see a '15' film in a cinema. Nobody younger than 15 may rent or buy a '15' rated video (these films may contain offensive or emotionally harrowing scenes or strong language and violence).
• 18 Suitable only for adults. Nobody younger than 18 may see an '18' film in a cinema. Nobody younger than 18 may rent or buy an '18' rated video (These films may contain extreme gore/violence and/or sexually explicit content).
• R18 (Restricted 18) To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults that are older than 18 years old. (These films contain sexually explicit, pornographic content.)

About The BBFC

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom. 

Making our Preliminary OTS

This is the mask and the hat we used for our OTS. We used it to make the scene seem creepy and like there's something not quite right. We also used an umbrella which was inside out to add to the kookiness of the scene.

Audience Preferences

Fun Lovers- people who just like going to the cinema, not necessarily for any reason just a pass time.
Youth Of Today- Young people who enjoy the cinema, probably more box office movies.
Film Fanatics- people who will know a lot about film and cinema. Probably older, and educated in film, i.e they've seen a lot of films and can evaluate what they like and dislike.

Types:

• Preferred - Targeted audience / those a product is aimed at. These people are a active audience.
• Opposition - Not the expected audience. These people are a passive audience. 

Distribution

These are the following ways of viewing and showing media:

• Streamed Legal
• Streamed Illegal
• Downloaded Legal
• Downloaded Illegal
• Cinema - Art house
• Cinema - Multiplex
• DVD to buy
• DVD to rent
• Blu Ray
• TV Broadcast
• Freeview
• Cable
• Satellite
• Pay-to-view

My preferences

I would say that I fit into the 'fun lover' category of watching films at the cinema, although i usually go to the cinema knowing what i want to see, i lack experience in films and i will usually only see something that's new, as opposed to going to somewhere like Cinema City.

I prefer to buy a DVD to watch a film as if i'm going to watch a film i usually know a fair bit about it and so its easier for me to buy one because i'll watch it more than once. Also i use Freeview to view films that i haven't heard much about, but this is usually only when i've got some time to kill.

Link to our OTS

Our OTS will be aimed at people who're interested in a certain type of film- film noir. The film is going to be shown on a streamed legal website and so the audience will probably be young and have prior knowledge of which websites to find such films on.

OTS storyboard

In this shot the girl is shown walking up to the door. It is a mid shot of the subject from behind to show her walking and to show the door. The subject is framed by the door frame to add emphasis on her. The mise-en-scene is a brick wall and the surroundings are dull and slightly unclean.

In this shot the subject is shown from the side, opening the door. The shot is predominantly on her and there's nothing in the background that would attract the audience's eyes away from her. Its a mid shot.

This shot is an extreme close up of the subject opening the door handle. The only things in shot are the hand and the door handle so the audience know perfectly what is happening.

This shot is an over-shoulder shot of the first subject, from the second subject's shoulder, The subject is framed by the door to link the previous shots to this one, and to emphasize the subject's facial expression.

This shot is a close up of the first subject's face. It shows nothing but her and it is at a regular angle.

This shot shows the second subject's face. He is wearing a mask and you cannot see his expression. The shot used is a close up and there's nothing else  in the shot, except the second subject.

This is a mid shot of the two people. It shows them at a table, talking.

This is an over-shoulder shot of the first subject. It shows her talking to the second subject. The over-shoulder shot is used because it highlights the fact that the two are talking to each other.

The last shot is of the second subject and the shot used is an over shoulder shot.

Audience

A group of people experiencing an event.
Types:
active = prefered - targetted audience/ those a product is aimed at
passive= oppositional - not the expected audience.

Distribution- method of showing
Exhibition- method of watching

By DVD
Rent DVD & Blu Ray
Illegal/streaming
Legal/downloading
Tv/Freeview/Cable/Satellite
Pay-To-View
Cinema- Art-House & Multinational

Style of Preference
1- Cinema, multinational. - Go with friends or alone, preferably with friends. [once or twice a month] [headonistic]
2- Satellite - on my own, once or twice a week [hedonistic]
3- Streaming On my own - Hedonistic [once a month]

Pete Buckingham, the head of Distribution and Exhibion of the UK Film Council says that ABC1s represent up to 66% of cinema audience. This means that the 33% is made up by poorer people, the poorer half watch films at home some how.
why is this?
poorer
less time - working - families
more choice at home

Understanding Genre: Thriller

Thriller

Thriller is defined as a genre of literature which used suspense, tension, excitement and often something which encourages the audience to be scared. Thriller films are usually fast-paced, and they provoke a rush of adrenalin for the viewer. The same plot lines and conventions are often used for Thrillers, for example, the protagonist is set against a problem, with danger being a big part of the problem and is usually emphasised, the tension with the problem builds throughout the film before ending with a big climax. However, this may differ slightly within the thriller sub-genres.

The Silence of the Lambs is a good example of a crime thriller. It focuses on the criminal and the detectives which all run parallel to each other. It focuses more on the action too, rather than the psychological aspects which is why it is a crime thriller.








Other types of thriller are:

• Conspiracy Thriller
• Erotic Thriller
• Political Thriller
• Psychological Thriller
• Spy Thriller
• Supernatural Thriller
• Techno Thriller

Storyboard and Analysis

The Secret Garden

I like this film because its classic- it mixes depressing and miserable circumstances with a light and hopeful place. Its just a good film in most ways, its happy but not too happy, it has a good end to it and i can watch it with my family and just enjoy it.

Digemon The Movie

This is one of my favourite films just because it reminds me of being a child again. There's nothing particularly to it, its just highly fictional and fun.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

This is my second favourite Harry Potter film because i like the idea of students rebelling against a horrible, superficial and pedantic teacher. Also, i love the way the Weasly twins rebel and how Harry helps the other students learn defence against the dark arts whilst they're under the control of the officious teacher.

Fight Club

I think this film is great because its so kooky and odd. The twist at the end was great and i really like how the whole film was put together. Its dark and disturbing but also really smart too, and i like the lighting, its dark and dingy which fits really well. Its really edgy, and i like it mostly because i could watch it 10x over and not get bored of it ever.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

This film is one of my favourites because i love all of the Harry Potter books and this one is the most magical to me. Sirius Black and Professor Lupin are my two favourite characters and its nice to see their début in this film. I like the story line of the film the most out of them all.

Knocked Up

Knocked Up is one of the funniest films i've ever seen. Seth Rogan is one of my favourite actors and he doesn't disappoint in this film. I like it because its stupid, funny, and the actors and actresses involved are all great.

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia is one of my favourite films because the storyline is very easy to relate to and its just a good film to watch. I like how it has all of the fun elements of make believe characters running wild in a forest and then the more serious elements like the death of main character Leslie and the hard time the other main character Jess is having at home. Its a film that can made me feel happy and full of energy and magic, and at the same time can make me cry for hours.

Jackass 2

Jackass 2 is one of my favourite films because it never fails to make me cry with laughter. The end scene where co-star Ehren gets set up into thinking he's being attacked by an anti-terrorist cab driver is just the best. Although some scenes are pure gross and there's a fair bit of nudity, this film will always be one of my favorites.

Jackass 3D

Jackass 3D is my favourite film because its so silly; its just a bunch of guys with money messing around and its become so successful to the point that its a 3D film. None of the guys are actors, nothing is faked and that's why i love Jackass so much. Its not a serious film at all; there's no storyline to concentrate on, no undertones to consider, its just fun.
The 3D film is probably my favourite because its not as aggressive as the previous ones. All of the scenes are watch-able- no fish-hooks being pierced through cheeks or leaches on eyeballs- its more 'fun' as opposed to 'disguising'. Furthermore its nicer to watch as whilst filming the guys had a dry set, as co-star Steve-O quit drinking so its much nicer to watch because they aren't all drunk 90% of the time.
In addition its my favourite as i love the songs used, CKY, Rodger Alan Wade and Weezer to name a few.

Watchmen

I like the film Watchmen because it combines a lot of interesting topics together. I like the time period its set in and I like how the Vietnamese war is used in it and wraps around the characters and the storyline. I like how it uses serious topics, like the war and the hard economic time but its based on superheroes so its not too serious or dull.

Its kind of creepy too, which is a good thing. None of the characters are perfect and nothing really goes the way its supposed to in the end, which i like. 

The main reason as to why its one of my favourite films though is the soundtrack. I love Bob Dylan and i love the song The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. To add to this I like how more modern artists were added to the soundtrack like My Chemical Romance, who I also adore.

Top Ten Films

Top Ten Films

Jackass 3D
Knocked Up
Bridge to Terrabithia
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Fight Club
Jackass 2
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix
Watchmen
The Digimon Movie
The Secret Garden