Research 1: Thriller Conventions
For the last two classes we have been watching the TV show “Severance” and taking notes. Severance is a thriller and follows the narrative of a man named Mark who works a mysterious job that splits two parts of his brain in half, leaving one side for work and one for home. He cannot remember his home life while at work and his work life while at home. This is called the “Severance procedure”.
In the episodes we watched, we see key typical thriller conventions of moral ambiguity, clocks, and tension. These are shown through the whole idea of the ‘severance procedure’, the clocks in the office scene, and the music, pauses, and gaps throughout the ‘walk to the office’ scene. In our coursework we will have the option of producing a thriller film opening, therefore we are researching the genre to help us with our decision.
Research 2: Impact of Technology and Audience on Genre essay
Research 3: Film Opening Conventions
Although there are many different ways in which to start a film, film openings often include a set of typical conventions for specific purposes such as:
| Production Logo and Film Title | The production logo is shown to subtly tell the audience the budget of the film and what to expect. A film name and the way it is presented is chosen to add emphasis/memorability. |
| Establishing the genre | It is important to establish the genre of the film right at the start so that the audience knows what to expect from the film through common conventions of the genre. |
| Character Introduction | Character introduction is important as it establishes the main character types to the audience. Eg: antagonist, protagonist, etc. This helps give a face to a name that may be mentioned further on in the movie (context) |
| Topic/Theme | Establishing the theme and topic |
Some common ways of starting a film include flash forward/back, unique camera angles, voiceovers/narration over a clip, close ups on important items, etc.
In class we have analysed a range of film openings to consider their conventions and how the film opening works to engage the audience. Here are my film opening analysis sheets:
Research 4 – Inspiration for our coursework
Place in here your 2 clips that have acted as research for your film opening with an analysis of the film openings and what aspects you will take inspo from.
Research 5 – Production Companies – logo and research
The ‘ Grug’ in Grug Studios TM is an Intertextual reference from the movie “The Croods” – 2013. The character Grug is a cultural icon and a symbol of the perfect ‘manly’ man. No fun no jokes, just grit, muscles and determination. This reflects our production process and way we design movies. No bull, just action.
Furthermore, the Fire encircling Grug in our logo connotes our revolutionary ideas. Fire is commonly thought of as one of the greatest inventions in human history, rivalling that of the wheel. This represents our creative spark and industry shaking IP that is clearly present in all of our movies. every film is unique here at Grug Studios TM.
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