Tuesday 29 November 2016

Case Study

American Film- Creed

Budget- $35,000,000
Opening weekend takings- $29,632,823
Box office- $173,567,581
Video sales- $21,361,278
Stars- Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, Tony Bellow and Tessa Thompson.
Genre- Action film
Certificate- PG(13)
Release date- 25th November 2015 (USA) 12th January 2016 (UK)
Marketing- Posters featuring stars involved with in the film (Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan) which not only sells it off as a new film but also passing from the legacy of Rocky to a new generation.
Why it was such a success?-
Sequel to the popular film 'Rocky' which was a Hollywood success grossing more than $100 million at box office. Which starred Sylvester Stallone as 'Rocky Balboa' as well as him writing it himself. This promoted the film 'Creed' and enticed more people into watching it because of its link to 'Rocky', making it very popular even before its release. Again the fact that Sylvester Stallone is featured in 'Creed' adds to its success with him being such a respected well known star for previous films he has starred in such as 'The expendables' and 'Guardians of the galaxy'.



UK Film- Kingsman: The Secret Service
Budget- $94,000,000
Opening weekend takings- $36,206,331
Box office- $128,261,724
Video sales- 51% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray
Stars- Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Taron Egerton
Genre- Action/Spy/Comedy
Certificate- 15 R-rated
Release date- January 24th 2015 (UK) 13 December 2014 (USA)
Marketing- Trailer, promoting through mention of directors and references to other films. "Matthew Vaughn director of X-MEN FIRST CLASS".
Why it was such a success?-
The film was a surprise success around the globe, not thought to of done as well as it did. The film involved stars such as 'Colin firth' who is a very well known British actor who has previously stared in films such as 'Bridget Jones Diary' another Uk film success. This would make the films popularity grow as he is well known for giving a good performance, therefore you know you aren't going to be disappointed. Another reason why it was such a success is because of its target audience of young teens, who are the audiences who mainly go to cinemas meaning it allows more opportunity for people to go and see it. Also the way the film was advertised contributed to its success, in the trailer it it displays all the elements of what you would see in a computer game, relating to the target audience of young teens (mainly boys).



Foreign Film- Wild Tales (Spanish)
Budget- $4 million
Opening Weekend- $85,100
Box office- $27 million
Stars- Dario Grandinetti, Ricardo Darin and Monica Villa
Genre- Comedy/ drama/ thriller
Certificate- R-rated (USA) 15 (UK)
Release date- August 21st 2014 (Argentina), 27th March 2015 (UK), May 17th 2014 (USA)
Marketing- Promoted through posters featuring stars of the film, trailers released.
Why it was such a success?-
The stars involved are successful actors\actresses such as; Dario Grandinetti who is an Argentine Emmy-winning actor, he has also starred in the film 'Talk to her' which was an Academy Award winning film. This would contribute to the film being such a success as you know actors such as he are going to deliver good performances due to their reputations.



Independent film- Signal
Budget- $4 million
Opening Weekend- $144,836
Box office- $2.42 million
Stars- Anessa Ramsey, Justin Welborn, Scott Pythress
Genre- Horror, Sci-fi, Thriller
Certificate- 15 (UK) R-rated (USA)
Release date- June 13th 2013 (USA), 27th March 2015 (UK)
Marketing-  Trailer and posters.
Wasn't such a success-
From the figures you can see that the film only made nearly over half of the budget in the total box office gross. This may be due to the fact it include stars which most people haven't heard of before, therefore this gives itself a disadvantage on selling point as people who only go to see big star films would not be appealing to go and watch this. However the lack of stars being expected as it is a independent film which doesn't have a large budget compared to other box office films, which might even have a similar storyline such as 'Project Almanac' (2015) which is also a Sci-fi film which grossed a total $33.3 million at box office with only a budget of $12 million.



Independent film- Manchester by the sea
Budget- 8.5million (USD)
Opening weekend- 256.489 (USD)
Box office- 72.5 million (USD)
Stars- Michelle Williams, Cassey Affleck, Kyle Chandler,
Genre- Drama film
Certificate- R rated
Release date- 13th January 2017
Marketing- Trailer posters & it being from Amazon
Was\wasn't such a success- Produced by Amazon Studios, made Amazon history as first Streaming Service best picture nominee.

British film- Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Budget-
Opening weekend-
Box office-
Stars-
Genre-
Certificate-
Release date-
Marketing-
Was/Wasnt such a success




Monday 7 November 2016

The Shining scenes.

                                                                      The Shining


Scene 1- 

The first scene i have chosen to analyse from the film 'The Shining' is the bat scene. At this part in the clip at the beginning you see the male character Jack in a medium shot showing a lot of aggression towards the female character Wendy. You can see the aggression through the performance of the character, displayed through is dialogue and facial expressions. The scene is set in a large room in the hotel, however the setting of the scene does not necessarily fit the genre of horror, as usually lighting and tones are mostly dark and gloomy ,but in this specific scene very high key lighting is used and bright colours. The costumes the characters are wearing suggest the film is not a modern film, as the clothing is pretty out of date, showing how the film is set in a different time frame to now.



In the next part of the clip you see the female character, Wendy, who is shown to be backing away from the male character looking very scared. The use of the bat prop portrays to the audience that she feels the need to protect herself against the man. In the medium to long shot you can see behind the female character bright lights coming through the window, suggesting how she is the good in this situation as bright white lights are sometimes associated with heaven, hope and purity. Also in this shot you see a close up behind shot of the male character. In this shot his almost shadow is completely black, presenting him as badness in this shot portraying him as almost the evil side,compared to the women.



In this clip of the scene body language is used well through out to portray the characters rank. The women's body language suggests how she is weak, this is obvious by the way she is sloughing her body, not showing a very strong posture at all, presenting how she is not a very strong person. Her facial expressions and dialogue also show this idea of her weakness, as through out the clip she is crying and begging him to stop and to leave her alone, showing her fear. The body language presented by the male character shows how he is the stronger one between the two. His posture is very strong in his back as he stands up straight when he follows her and backs her up the stairs. His face also shows that he is stronger as his eyes are wide, presenting that he is aware of the situation and sure about what he is doing. His dialogue also clearly presents how he is the stronger character as he is very dominating and threatening when he talks about how he is basically going to kill her.



Another way the female character's, Wendy, weakness is obvious is by the way she handles the bat. If she was serious about hurting him to protect herself she would just hit him. This suggests that she doesn't believe the sincerity in his threats and she is just warning him. However the point which contradicts the idea of the male character being the dominant one is by the positioning of the two. The female character is portrayed as being the weaker one however she is the one standing above him, suggesting that in fact she is the one in control of the situation, that she is superior to him. The way he is below her could suggest that he thinks he is in control however in reality he is not. That his power is just an illusion. Which is how the clip ends, by the female character actually proving this idea of her being superior as she finally knocks him down by hitting him with the bat.




Scene 2-
The second scene i have chosen to analyse is the scene where the male character, Jack, breaks through a door with an axe. The clip begins with a medium to long shot of  Jack axing down the door.  The lighting in this scene is quite low key however the use of colour is used in the background, but still faded. This could suggest what the hotel was supposed to be; happy, family orientated and safe. However the dark fading over the colour portraying the darkness that has took over in its place. The mise-en-scene of his facial expressions he shows presents the horror genre as he presents a rabid look suggesting how his intentions are to kill his wife and child. The idea of this leaves you in suspense as your left on edge wether they women and child will find away out or not.



Further into the clip you then see the women character, Wendy, hiding behind the door holding the child character, Danny, close to her in terror. In this setting of the room the lighting is quite low key compared to the lighting on the male character. The flip shots used which go between the male character breaking down the door with an axe, and the female and young boy character trying to find a way out of the situation builds up a lot of tensions and a sinister atmosphere. It also portrays how time is running out for them as each time it flips back to him the closer he is to getting through the door. Also the non-diegetic sounds in the background also build up tension as it goes with the idea of what is going to happen next.



Near the ending of the clip you see the women character scattering around the room trying to find a way for her and her son to get out. when she hangout the window and sees the amount of snow blocking their escape makes you feel worried for the two as you think they won't be able to get out. Which incises you more to keeping you engaged as this is a very gripping point in the scene. The way the young boy clings onto his mother portrays the closeness of the relationship they have and how dependable he is on her. Obviously the complete opposite to the relationship between the son and his father. By the women letting her son go without her shows how she would rather him be safe over herself.By her doing this it gives you the idea that she will not be able to escape and have to face him,making you think you know what is going to happen, as it is a horror genre something bad is going to happen.



In the ending part of the clip in this scene you show how the male character finds the situation humorous, that he enjoys scaring her. Which obviously isn't normal behaviour, showing how out of ordinary it all is. This is also portrayed though the high key lighting of the scene, usually in horror genre's low key lighting is used to set the scene however in this clip high key lighting is used, going against the stereotype of what usual techniques this genre uses.







Tuesday 1 November 2016

Horror Clip Personal Response

                                     Horror Clip Personal Response

In our horror film clip sequence it started off as a long shot outside the college entrance. The shot then turned into a zoom up shot on the college sign, this is for the purpose of setting the scene so the audience know where the film is mainly going to be set. The camera shot then goes on to have views of inside the college. This is also the time you begin to see people in the shots, showing it is going to  be based around maybe a teenage horror, therefor making the film appeal to its target audience of teenagers aged 15 upwards. However in these shots a face is never shown which creates a sense of mystery, especially with the non-diegetic music in the background which creates a tense feeling as you are left in suspense in very early stages of the clip.

Further into the clip you being to see the sequence of the story line. A masked murderer set in the college. Through out the clip you begin to see more appearances from the masked murderer. You first see it in a medium close up shot coming from behind the door. By you being able to see the murderer but the other characters not seeing it makes it frustrating for you as you want them to know. It again creates suspense as you are waiting to see if the murderer is going to do anything or not.

In the next part of the clip you see a scene where two students come through the door and then a flip shot to the masked murderer, who then is shown to start beginning to chase them down the stairs. With this sequence so far and the non-diegetic music in the background constantly building up makes you feel on edge and scared as you want to know if the masked murderer is going to kill them or not. However this is then confused by how then the clip in a long shot shows ,through character point of view, that in fact the masked murderer has disappeared. This creates mystery within the sequence. Mystery is again reinforced with the idea of the villain in this case being masked, this makes you feel enticed  as you want to watch until the end to see if they are ever unmasked or not.

The clip then concentrates on the idea of  'hunting' down the masked murderer. Through out the rest of the clip is flip shots of different locations. When each location is shown in variety of shots it leaves you feeling very intense as the locations are shown in quite eary ways. For example the corridor shot is very isolated with the non-diegetic music still playing in the background, this feeling is made emphasised by the shadow shot. In a long shot that then turns into a medium shot you see a persons shadow reflecting on the wall. This makes you feel worried as you aren't sure whether it is the masked murderer or the shadow of the heroetic characters? creating an on going element of suspense.

In the final shot of the clip is a shot outdoors. In a tracking shot you are again being shown very isolated areas. The previous areas shot are cut very quickly however in this last shot more attention has been shown, this could suggest that the masked murderer is close to being found or some sort of mystery about the sequence is about to be discovered. The main focus is set on the spiral stair case. The lighting in this shot is quite low key lighting, looking very glumly and droopy associating it with the feelings of sadness and loneliness. But also the feeling of the unknown. As the long shot of the staircase stays in contact with this scene for a long period of time compared to the others makes you think something dramatic is about to happen, leaving you feeling scared at the last moment as the sequence comes to an end.





Monday 10 October 2016

Kill Bill

                                                                      Kill Bill

At the beginning of the clip the first thing you see is a women in a medium close up shot of her face. The women in the shot looks very peaceful with in her surroundings by the way she is smiling and strolling through the room. As the clip is set in black and white colouring suggests that the film is set in a outdated period, instead of a modern setting. The women continues to stroll forward however her facial expression is shown to change, when she hears the non-diegetic sound of an instrument. From her expression and reaction she shows to hearing this sounds suggests that she recognises the sound. It also suggests that hearing that sound where she is right now is the last place she would expect to hear it. You then see a long shot of the room she is waling through. In the centre of the shot you see a door way, this could represent a door way back into a past time in her life that she is walking back into. The doorway is shown to be in very low key lighting which could suggest that what she is walking back into (her past) could be a dark place in her life.  By hearing the non-diegetic sound of music being played and sensing that the women in the clip recognises it, creates an atmosphere of mystery as you want to know the story behind the music and why it means something to her.  The way she looks around sharply suggests that she is in disbelief of what she thinks is happening. Shown in a long shot you see the women is wearing an all white outfit, suggesting purity as white is usually associated with goodness and heaven. You can also see she has a white ribbon in her hair, again reinforcing the colour white , the ribbon could represent innocence with the women.



In a low angle shot you then see a long haired old man in black clothing, this could represent how he is the evil as harsh dark colours are associated with evil and impurity. The opposite of how the women is being portrayed. The man is also the source of where the music is coming from as you can see he is playing a flute. By the women not turning around straight away when she gets outside shows that she doesn't even have to look to know who she is going to see, that she is so familiar with that sound she can tell straight away. The camera then flicks between close ups of the women and mans faces. The non-diegetic music gets faster between each close up, this creates a tense atmosphere as it builds you up expecting something to happen. Carrying on until the close up stops on the old mans face, the diegetic dialogue of the man saying "hello kiddo" suggests a close relationship between the man and women as the way he addresses her in quiet intimate and informal.

The mise-en-scène shows the surroundings in the clip to be very derelict, which makes you think the people in the clip aren't very modern with the ways they socialise and may have an old fashioned way of thinking. It also makes you wonder whether the women in the clip has purposely ostracised herself from a busy society for some reason.The old man in the clip is portrayed as being very confident and comfortable with in himself shown through his body language. The way he stands up with his head high shows that he could be a dominating character and is used to being in control, by the way he then leans against the wooden pole presents how comfortable he is in the women's company. The women is shown in a medium shot to be looking directly at the man and begin to walk slowly towards him. This presents that she is cautious of getting close to him, here shown physically but could be portraying  how in fact she is actually cautious of getting close to him emotionally.  By the way they each take in turns to take a step forward closer to each other portrays how they both have a level of respect for each other not wanting to invade the other personal space.

The camera then moves to a close up shot of the women's and man's feet. They way they are close together could symbolise a reunion between the two. The women is shown to be wearing quiet open shoes, portraying elements of her character that she is open herself which could lead her to be left vulnerable. In the clip you then see a close up side view of the women's and man's faces who are facing each other. The way the two faces are in both in focus but the background is not in focus, presents how the two characters are in a world of their own, that they are oblivious to everything around them and the only thing that matters to them is each other. The way the background is in blur also suggests that they do not fit in with their surroundings due to the way they live their lives, maybe that they are not meant to be there.

In the close up shot of their faces you can see how their faces are in line with each other and how they have direct eye contact between them, showing how they are connected through a emotional relationship. As they are looking each other in the eye gives a sense of trust. The women's body language seems to match the mans, as she is also show to present herself as confident with her head held high whilst she is speaking to him, portraying how she is his equal match.  However this changes when the man brings up another man in her life (in diegetic dialogue) , "What does your young man do for a living". Once this other man is mentioned the women's confidence seems to disappear as her head looks down pointing to the floor. This represents how maybe she is ashamed or embarrassed. It could also suggest that she feels guilty for the man in context that she shouldn't be speaking to the old man as she knows it is wrong.

In the last part of the clip you see the women quickly shut down what the mean man was saying to her presenting how she wants to keep him a secret and doesn't want her new man to find out who this person is. This suggests that the man she is marrying doesn't know her completely and that there is a part of her life he has no idea about. Which could be what her and the old man connect through as he is the only one who knows her for who she really is.

Sunday 9 October 2016

Horror Film Sequence - The Conjouring 2.

                                                Horror film sequence

The Conjouring 2


At the beginning of the opening scene you can see a very dark setting using low key lighting, already giving it a eary feeling along with the non-diegetic music in the background, this is also where you are first shown a female character. Who is the main focus through out the clip. The women is shown in a long shot before the camera zooms in on her. This could represent that whatever/whoever is down in the basement with her has drawn all its attention to her. The camera then follows her from a behind angle, this could be showing how she is being followed by a non-visible being (spirit) or showing us what she sees through her eyes. As you see her walking forward different religious objects are being shown in the scene such as; crosses, candles and statues of Christ. This gives the idea of some sort of religious relations with the film, trying to het rid of evil spirits. Which would therefor fit in with the horror genre.



 

Further into the scene as the women is walking forward, still being tracked from a behind angle, you then see a young boy run out from behind a sheet laughing, however  the laughter does not seem to be coming from the boy as it echoes through the room suggesting how the boy may not be real. This creates tension as he comes from no where startling you as you watch. From the women's movements you can see she is frightened by what Is happening as you can hear diegetic sounds of her heavy breathing, also by the way she is looking around with very wide sharp eyes. As she paces around in circles looking for the young boy he then reappears along with other children. The children standing there have blood stains on their clothes, showing how they aren't actually alive, this creates a scary atmosphere in the scene as it makes you think something else it about to happen, as the scene is getting more tense as it goes on.


 
In the next part of the scene the women and dead children are shown in a medium long shot. The non-diegetic music in the background in becoming much more faster and high pitched, this creates tension as it has you on the edge waiting for something scary to happen. The children shown in the shot are all lined up, looking at the women but then all in sync turn their heads quickly staring in the same direction. This could suggest that the children are being controlled by something much more sinister than them and they look to it as their master. Or this could be the children warning the women of what is really dangerous, to try and prevent what happened to them from happening to her.



You then see the women uncover the mirror that the children were staring at. The non-diegetic music in the background almost disappears, suggesting that the evil is no longer around her relieving tension that had been built up. But then in a medium long shot you see a very dark figure start to appear walking behind the women. At this point the non-diegetic music is now being bought back in using very fast high sounds, making you expect something bad to happen very soon. The camera angle moves back and fourth between the mirror and behind the women. As the women can only see the figure in the mirror suggests that it is most likely a spirit, a sinister spirit more likely as it is dressed in dark clothing, portraying the idea of death.




The women's breathing becomes much more heavier by this point, when the women turns back round a close up is shown of the dark figure, giving a shocking effect as you aren't really expecting it. By then the spirit then begins to strangle the women links back to the children and portraying how it has been the cause of their deaths and they are the lives she has taken so far. By the demon trying to kill her could suggest that this is something the women try's to defeat. As she stays there and doesn't run away suggest that she could be used to seeing things such as these, maybe that it is her lifestyle that she deals with demonic spirits, which foreshadows the films storyline.