Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Monday, 28 September 2015
The Conjuring Semiotic Analysis
- Dominant colours; Black, grey, brown, gloomy/darker prime colours, connotes the dark sinister theme of the horror genre.- Trailer opens with an old flickering film footage, childs laughter connotes innocence juxtaposes the conventions of the horror genre.
- Montage of shots showing the house.
- Family photos appear on screen denotes happiness & innocence compared to the darker themes later in the trailer.
- Different shots showing past horror stories.
- Rapid editing, increases tension throughout.
- Rich, sumptuous, grand old style American house, high quality furniture, oaken floors etc.
- Increasing POV shots, make it up close & personal, narrows the viewers vision and limits what they can see and increases the tension.
- Iconic features; grandfather clock, creaky floorboards, slamming doors etc, spirit scarring the victims.
- Priest- symbol of faith, father figure, good vs evil.
- Crows; symbols of death, foreboding.
- The sound at the beginning of the trailer starts off happy and upbeat which juxtaposes the melancholic and sinister music which comes near the climax of the trailer
Institution;
- Warner Bros; flashes & flickers onto the screen.
- New Line Cinema Logo also does the same, adds to the eery beginning to the film.
- Hollywood film based in the American Southern States.
- Director James Wan, director of Saw and Insidious.
- Lesser known director who has done a couple of famous horror films, has experience in the genre.
- Cast names not mentioned as they are not well known and are not going to attract a large audience.
Genre;- Demonstrates several conventions of;
- Horror; evil spirits, the haunting, appearance of hanging bodies, exorcism, paranormal investigators, dark atmosphere, chilling music.
- Action; Girl flying into the window, Lorraine falling through the floor, gunshots, fight scenes.
- Thriller; Quest for closure, spirit hunting down the family, possession.
Representation;
- Men; dominant, powerful, leaders, protecting others over themselves, male hero. One example is Ed Warren protecting his wife "I can't lose you" putting himself in danger for her.
- Female; females in the family presented as weak, vulnerable, over reliant on the investigators whilst Lorraine Warren breaks the stereotypes and is authoritative, joint leader, female hero and takes responsibility when things go wrong.
- Catholic Church; the priest is shown to be a father figure, responsible, problem solver, offer guidance and advice.
Audience;
- Hollywood film, hybridized likely to have a mainstream appeal.
- Appeals to horror fans; possession, haunting, danger, tension etc.
- Special effects; breaking windows, smashing paintings etc.
- Trailer promises viewers that by watching the film they will be uncovering a previously hidden case which is so horrific it has had to wait until now.
Ideologies/Media Values;
- Portrays men as leaders/protectors , they are the dominant characters, shown as the people who solve the problems. Given generous amounts of screen time in the trailer.
- The male as the protectors; Ed placing himself in front of Lorraine shielding her from danger.
- The representation of women is ultimately positive throughout the course of the trailer, Lorraine Warren is given generous screen time throughout . She takes an active and commanding role. However the mother is seen as vulnerable and weak as it is she who ends up getting possessed and cannot handle the situation.
- Catholic Church; makes a brief appearance in the trailer but is shown as a powerful, divine force that is capable of solving extremely dangerous spiritual phenomena. The church is the force that the investigators turn to in their time of need for guidance and advice.
Narrative;
- Classical Hollywood Narrative structure, 2 main protagonists involved in a fight to save a family from a darker power, discovering numerous obstacles on the way.
- The narrative is driven by the need to act decisively against the spirit before it does further substantial harm to the family.
Sunday, 27 September 2015
Conjuring Trailer
Did the distributors highlight the key points you mentioned;
1) True Story;
-This feature was mentioned in the trailer, after the opening scene the distributors used a new clip to show "based on the true story of the Warrens" it immediately creates a link with the USP about the events that occurred in real life.
-Characters introduce themselves as "just Ed and Lorraine Warren" reinforces the personal side, drives home the narrative and the true story effect.
-Recounts their past cases "out of the 1000's they investigated there is one so disturbing they kept it locked away" again reminds us of the fact that this happened in real life, links in with the shocking of the viewers and intrigues them. How could something so horrific and shocking happen in real life.
-"until now" makes it sound exclusive and secretive. The audience are seeing something that has never been seen before.
2)Happy Ending;
-Does not feature in the trailer.
-Instead of showing a happy ending we are shown a live exorcism, violence & psychological horror.
-Showing a happy ending in the trailer would lessen the effect of the trailer and would seem out of place.
-By not showing it in the trailer the distributors can use it as a twist to surprise the audiences when they actually go and see the film, makes it unique.
The Avengers
- During the opening clip we are immediately shown all the comic hero's we love fighting against evil together as a team. This combination marks the film as unique as no film has ever done this before. The distributors have done this because it immediately informs the audience that this film is different and is setting a new precedent for superhero films and it is something well worth seeing.
2) Link to other popular superhero TV shows;
Shifty Trailer
- This USP was highlighted throughout the course of the trailer,with the action and drama taking place within the suburbia of London. This places the viewer right into the middle of urban life and portrays what life is like in run down areas such as this.
-During the trailer we are shown a variety of social problems in the urban environment including; drugs, crime, betrayal and sex. While also showing us the themes of loyalty and friendship. This all helps to promote the theme of social realism because it shows us the audience exactly what like is like and makes us empathize with the characters within the film.
Sunday, 20 September 2015
Film Pitching Research
How to make a good film pitch;
1) Make it interesting, don't be afraid to try sometime unusual that will surprise the producers and make you stand out. Miranda July acted out the story for her film using finger puppets, it was bizarre but got her the deal.
2) Grab the producers attention and immediately let people know exactly what sort of world the film exists in from the characters to the main thrust of the plot. Producers often complain of pitches being too long (more than an hour) make it sharp and punchy.
3) Master the 60 second pitch, major production companies are often too busy to see everyone in detail, if you can't get a proper meeting then its useful to master the minute pitch and make sure you hit the producers with key info that will make them want to buy your script.
4) Show emotion; provide the buyer with a positive emotional experience and convince them that when your movie is made your story will create a strong emotional experience for the people buying the tickets, books and DVDs.
5) Review your story, determine the key, most powerful elements. This will help convey its emotional power and commercial potential. The story should include;
- A protagonist/hero.
- The hero's desire to fulfill his goals.
- Conflict, the seemingly insurmountable obstacles the hero faces.
- Antecedents, previously successful films that will convince the buyer there is a market for your story.
6) Prepare a script of exactly what you're going to say, include key elements.
7) Rehearse, practice your pitch, rewrite it and practice some more. You must know your script so well that it becomes natural and conversational, this helps you prepare for any questions.
8) Research your target market, compile a list of specific buyers, agents, editors and producers you will pursue.
9) Establishing a rapport with your buyers will create a connection and make them more likely to do business.
9) End on a definitive note, the buyers will have to read your script at the end so it is best to end authoritatively ie; "so, do you have any questions about the story or would you like me to send you a copy?"
10) Respond to the buyers comments, questions and requests and make sure you answer quickly and don't waffle on.
Examples of successful film pitches; The Kick starter Scheme.
Blue like Jazz;
- 2003 Donald Miller came up a memoir that focused on forgiveness, honesty and growing up.
-2009 it was developed into a movie.
- Crew was hired and a film made. Initial budget was around $345,992.
-2010 Donald Miller announced that the film was indefinitely postponed due to lack of funding.
-Fans of the book came together under the kick starter Scheme and donated the money needed to fund the film with production set to be restarted in 6 months.
Friday, 18 September 2015
The 7 Codes to Semiotic Analysis of Trailers
Representation
The constructed and mediated presentation of people things ideas places
The process by which the media presents the real world
Constructs meanings about the world picture television programme newspapers
Stereotypes
-Widely circulated ideas or assumptions about particular groups
-Focus on certain characteristics of the group and assumes these to be shared across all group members
-Inherent within stereotypes is a judgement on this characteristic
Genre
-Classifying a media text to tell us something about it
Media values & Ideology's
-Values suggest moral and cultural ideas behind the way people live
Ideology is a set of beliefs and attitudes about how society s organised and arise from economic and political divisions in society.
Media language
-How communicated i.e. camera angles mise on scene
Media Institutions
-An established media organisation which produces and distributes media products
Media Audience
-Any group of people who receive a media text.
-Target audience- what the media product is aimed at.
Narrative
-Media term for story telling
-The way different elements in a story are organised to make a meaningful story
