Audience Research - Voxpop

From using a Voxpop i have come to the conclusion that majority of the people my group and I asked would like the setting to be a dark forestry location which means it is isolated and secluded. Therefore my group and I have decided to use a forest location during our opening sequence to out film, however we aren't going to make it stereotypical and have it all set here and have a chase sequence there because that would make it boring and expected.

Also from our Voxpop i have come to the conclusion that that majority of people that my group and i asked would like the sounds that are heard in thriller films to be very ominous and dramatic so it grabs the audiences attention. Also a couple said that they would like to hear rustling of leaves and wolf howls. Therefore my group and i have decided find some very ominous music so it makes us feel scared and anxious as to what might happen and if we have someone walking through a forest then we will use rustling of leaves.

Film Synopsis

Beginning
at the beginning of our film there would be a very average looking teenager called Aidan and he would be seen at school doodling into one of his school books. The bell would go and he would go home, then he would change from a relatively normal teenager into a fully dressed up Goth with the black clothing, the studded bracelets. He then goes out to meet his other friends and he passes 2 men in business suits who are in a forest on a path talking about something very private, illegal and very unrelated to the jobs you would think they have. When Aidan finally realises the magnitude of what they have said he tries to tell the police but they don't follow on with his claim because they are very high powered business men who seem to the naked eye to be doing nothing wrong. So then Aidan decides to try and expose them on his own and with some help from his friends along the way.

Middle
When Aidan hears that the police are going to go no further with what he says, he then looks up about the people he heard talking and finds out where they work and what their previous criminal offences were. he then goes to where he heard that the body might be or is being buried. he arrives seeing it in the middle of it being buried and he starts to record it on his phone showing that the 2 that he saw are involved. as he puts his phone away and starts to walk away, he trips over and gets noticed by the 2 people burring the body. They then chase after him because he has seem what they have been doing, he then texts his friends that he needs help and where he is, then they catch him, tie him up, and beat him for information on what he has seen or heard. His friends then arrive just in time to jump on and wrestle the 2 antagonists to the ground, they untie Aidan and tell him to run to the police and show then the evidence.

End
So the police would come along and arrest the two antagonists and Aidan would then go on the news as a hero. He would then go back to school as if nothing would have happened. Only this time he will not be bullied and taken the mick out of because he has achieved so much and he will have the confidence to wear his Gothic clothes to school without being bullied for it.

Mind Map of Initial Ideas

Analasys of Angels & Demons (Howard, 2009, USA| Italy) Opening Sequence

In Angels & Demons Mise en scene is used to create many different meanings. For example the costume for the clergymen is either black or red Clerical clothing which creates a meaning of importance and high status. These meanings are created because when you see clergymen wearing a uniform, that means that they are high bodies within the church which means they have a high importance in terms of what happens in the church. This tells the audience that since they are all high bodies within the church something major has happened to do with the church so it would make the audience ask questions such as 'what has happened to the church?' and 'why are they all together?' This means that the audience would want to watch on because they would want to find out what has happened to the church.

These are cardinal bishops (the ones in red) around one priest (in black)

Also in Angels & Demons Sound is used to create many different meanings. For example the score that is being played over the clergymen as they are performing there act sounds very holy and sounds like something you would hear a church choir singing. This creates a meaning of holiness and also an importance towards the church. This meaning is created because when you hear church singing it sounds very powerful and reminds you that when singing happens it is an important time for the priest to speak or do sacred actions. This then says to the audience that something important is happening within the church but they don't know what it is so they will want to watch on to find out what it is.

Also Cinematography is used to create different meanings within Angels & Demons. For example the extreme close up of the ring which has the holy design on it. This creates a meaning of mystery. This creates a meaning of mystery because it would make the audience ask questions such as 'what is the design on that ring?' 'who's ring is it?' and 'what is going to happen to this ring?' so then the audience would want to view on to find out why that ring is there and what is going to happen to it. Also it creates a sense of mystery because it shows the detail on the ring which makes the audience wonder 'why was it made with this detail' and 'how is this important to what is gonna happen next?'

 

Finally Editing is used to create many different meanings in the opening of Angels & Demons. For example the long take of the ring being shown to the audience. This creates a meaning of high importance. This meaning is created because the connotations of something being shown to the audience for a long time is that it has some bearing on what is going to happen or what is going to be said shortly after it is shown, so therefore this tells the audience that it must be important because it is being shown to us for a long time. It will also make them ask questions such as 'why is this ring so important?' and 'what will happen after this ring has been shown to us?'

Conventions of a Typical Thriller Film and/or Opening Sequence

Conventions of a Thriller

• One typical convention of a Thriller film is that it creates a sense of mystery throughout, always throwing in different problems that don't seem to have an immediate solution or easy answer to get it done.
• Another typical convention of Thriller films is that the main character or characters are very intelligent and are very dedicated or are specialised in the specific subject/ area to which the film needs.
• Another typical convention for the openings of thrillers is that it typically puts you in the middle of a minor action scene or goings on so that we, the audience, don't know what has caused this action to happen or how it occurred. Some examples of Thriller's film that do this are : The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons.   

Analysis of The Da Vinci Code (Howard, 2006, USA / UK/ France/ Malta) Opening Sequence

In 'The Da Vinci Code' Mise en scene was used to create many different meanings. For example costume is worn by the old man, which is  to create a meaning that he is smart and must be important and also that he is a high status person. this creates this meaning because suits are generally known as high powered people because they are usually worn by business people who are usually very powerful people. so then this tells the audience that he must own something big and must have a big part to play, so the audience ask, what is his importance? Also costume is used to create different meanings. The white almost priest like outfit of the flagellate, person who whips himself for Christ, creates a meaning of telling the audience he is religious and that he is evil also because it is a dark blue/black colour. The colour black creates this meaning of him being evil because the connotations of black is that it is the colour of darkness and people get scared of the darkness and also evil people always hide in the darkness. and he is hiding in his costume which is dark. This makes the audience ask questions like what is he going to do and is he the main bad guy ?


  Also in 'The Da Vinci Code sound is used to create many different meanings. For example the contrapuntal sound used when the the old man is running away from sillas and the speaking of the man doing the presentation is over that creates a meaning of importance for one of these characters and also that they must have a link between them. these meanings are created because since the mans voice is over the chase scene it makes the audience think, did that man ask for this to happen? or does he realise this is happening while he is doing his presentation? Also it creates the meaning of importance because it makes the audience ask are these two people linked or important in some way?

Also cinematography is used to create many different meanings in The Da Vinci Code. For example the close up of sillas used just before he shoots the old man is used to create a meaning that he isn't human or less human than the others. this creates this meaning because it shows the details on the guys face which is a very pale white showing the audience that he is doesn't go outside and that he is less human because he has no colour to his skin whereas the older man does have a slight tan to his skin.

Finally, editing is used in The Da Vinci Code to make many different meanings. For example the fast paced editing that is used when the old man is running away from sillas, the man with the gun, is chasing the old man, this fast paced editing creates a meaning of urgency. This fast paced editing creates this meaning because since it is showing everything quickly it is telling the audience that sillas is in a rush to get what he is doing done so that he can move on to a more important task later on, which makes the audience want to keep watching so they find out what it is.

Different Possible Loactions for 3 Different Genres

Romantic Comedy

These 3 locations will be good for the genre of Romantic Comedy because they are usually set in a normal suburb of a city which usually isn't that interesting, then it becomes more interesting in that suburb. The first picture is in a park, second photo is in a side road and the third is in a car park. Also these are the normal places in 'Rom-Coms' romances occur.

Thriller

 

These photos would be good for the genre of thriller because they all challenge the audience to try and figure out where they are and what they mean. They also create a slight sense of mystery because they don't look like normal places to be. The first photo is down a path in a park, the second is inside a small wood and the third is next to part of the river Wandle.

 

Action Adventure

 



These 3 locations would be good for the genre of Action Adventure because they all look like they are in very different locations and Action Adventures are usually set in many different locations. Also the first picture is at a train station which is a usual setting in an action adventure film because the characters are usually using many different modes of transport to get to different places. The first Photo is at a train station, the second in a park and the third is down a path in a different park.