Research 1 – Genre Essay
Impact of technology and audience on Genre – Thriller genre
In media we have looked at how genres developed overtime. Down below I have researched and used past films as references to explain how the thriller genre has developed over this past century. From this I have gained a better understanding of the genre itself and hope to implement it in my own work in the future.
Research 2 – Film Opening Conventions
As a class we looked at some typical film opening conventions. I then completed a table analysing some typical conventions/features of a film opening and why they might be important.
For my own coursework, I will definetly consider using these conventions in order to convey my film’s genre across to the audience.
| Production Logo and Film Title | The production logo is shown in the introduction to grasp the audience’s attention. Additionally, a production logo is a way for the film to establish it’s identity as part of the company. It creates a strong brand image for the company which audiences can go and refer to. A title can help sent the overall tone and genre of the film itself. It provides a brief insight as to what the film’s themes or narrative storyline may be. |
| Establishing the genre | It is important to establish the genre of the film right at the start so that it targets the specific demographic watching the film. It helps them understand what is expected through the use of typical genre conventions, and helps classify films into categorize for easy accessibility. |
| Character introduction | Introducing a character helps the audience understand the character’s personality, roles, etc. This is important as audiences understand the character’s intention and purpose within the film. It also helps create connection and a relationship with the audience, immersing them into the film but also allowing them to generate an opinion. |
| Topic/Theme | A topic/theme is used to give the film a meaning and purpose. It conveys the film’s main ideas connecting closely with the narrative/storyline. It allows audiences to have a easier more meaningful interpretation of what the film may be about. |
Research 3 – Film Opening Analysis
In class we have analysed a few film openings in order for us to understand what real production companies consider when producing a film. We looked at the key conventions of a film opening, and how they might influence the engagement of the audience.
I have inserted my doc below, with a detailed anaylsis of what I noted and how it has impacted me as a audience member.
AS Media – Analysing film openings.docx
Research 4 – Inspiration For Coursework
In preparation for our coursework, we looked for already exisiting films which had a similar theme/idea which we briefly brainstormed. By doing so, we took inspiration to how they produced it, and why it was so effective, aiming to produce a similar outcome which satisfies the audience.
Groundhog Day (1993) Romance/Comedy – Directed by Harold Ramis:
Our main reason for choosing this was the revisiting of time and how the characters are stuck in a “Time Loop”. The characters are constantly awakening at 6:00AM everyday, which is shown with a alarm clock, being one of it’s significant props/symbols. The concept of turning back time and reliving it over and over aligns with how we wanted the incident to be shown, with it being such a significant part of our film opening.
Run Lola Run (1998) Action/Thriller – Directed by Tom Tykwer:
The time loop aspect of this film is divided into 3 parts, with the character experiencing different outcomes, depending on the decisions made. The repetition of this is highlighted upon throughout the film as it constantly references back to the originally narrative. In our film opening, we wanted to convey the idea that our main character (Blair) is experiencing different outcomes each time. In order for it to be different, time is set back, as if nothing ever took place nor happened.
In The Tall Grass (2019) Horror/Drama – Directed by Vincenvo Natali:
The aspects we took from this film is the characters feeling and showing a sense of disorientation. Our main character (Blair) is thought to be feeling discomfort and reoccurring trauma from her friend (Eve’s) incident. We wanted to display Blair as a very vulnerable character, who has been impacted majorly by her friends death.
Research 5 – Production Companies -Logo and Research
During class we looked at a range of different production logos, analysing symbols, and taking inspiration for our own.
We went around noting down features or ideas from famous production company logos considering the colours, shapes, pictures, patterns, mood, style of font, symbols, or imagery used to help convey their identity or any representation shown .
I then did a in depth research of one particular production company, (Paramount) to investigate the company’s background and intention of the logo itself.