Task 3: Target Audience: Analysis of BFI Data- Genre and Classification

Thrillers have the greater number of releases at 64 compared to horror's total of 37 releases in 2013. One would assume that the greater number of releases would mean that thrillers are the more profitable genre of the two, but this isn't the case, as horror had a gross box office of 57.5 million which is almost twice the gross profit of thriller in the same year (29.1 million). Therefore, I can determine that horror is the more profitable genre, despite the apparent popularity of thrillers. animation was the most profitable genre of that year which is due to it being aimed at a much wider and diverse audience than horror.

The information in table 4.2 compares the average number of sites at widest point of release, meaning the average number of cinemas showing films of that genre in 2013. The genre with the greatest average number of sites at the widest point of release is sci-fi with 422 sites. However, with genres like sci-fi and westerns they had fewer releases that year which were heavily promoted like "Django Unchained" and "The Lone Ranger". The number of cinemas showing films belonging to the horror genre is greater than thriller by 56 sites, suggesting that horror films are in greater demand than thriller films.

Table 4.3 shows the box office revenues for each genre per site which gives a better indication of the genres performance in the market. the most profitable genre in 2014 per site was adventure with an average box office per site of £28,816. horror films were on average more profitable per site with£10,708 compared to thrillers average box office per site of £5,127. This suggests that horror is the most consistently profitable genre of the two, since despite a greater number of thrillers being released that same year and both genres having similar number of total sites where they were shown, films belonging to the horror genre produced on average double the box office of thrillers.
Table 4.4 shows the number of releases in each genre, comparing the percentage of releases and of total box office that belongs to each genre in the year of 2013. Action was the genre taking the greatest percentage of gross box office with 25%, despite the fairly small number of nine releases. Despite there being ten more releases in the thriller genre than the horror genre, horror produced 5.8% of the total box office that year, compared to thriller's 1.6%. This yet again suggests that despite the greater number of thriller films produced, horror is the most profitable genre of the two.

Figure 4.1 shows that UK films belonging to the horror genre produced a greater proportion of box office than UK films belonging to the thriller genre. However, the proportion of box office for UK independent thriller films was far greater than that of UK independent horror films, suggesting that although horror films generated the greatest proportion of box office of the two genres, films belonging to the thriller genre were overall more successful for All, UK and UK independent films than the horror genre, suggesting that thriller is the more reliable yet less profitable genre of the two.
Figure 4.2 shows that the proportion of releases for the thriller genre were around twice the amount of releases in the horror genre in 2013. When comparing to figure 4.1, this suggests that the proportion of box office gained by horror films is proportional to the number of releases in the horror genre, compared to the contrast in the proportion of releases and the proportion of box office in the thriller genre. Again, this information concludes that horror is the more profitable genre between horror and thriller, because of its relative success in all and UK films, despite the significantly lower number of releases in that year.

Response to Feedback

Completed:

• Video of preliminary task is embedded.
• Preliminary task evaluation has been written.
• A textual analysis of blue velvet has been written.
• The video of the opening sequence blue velvet has been embedded along with screen grabs.
• A textual analysis of SE7EN has been written
• The video of SE7EN's title sequence has been embedded along with screen grabs.
• Genre theory of Film Noir has been typed up.
• Stereotypical representations in thrillers/ horrors has been typed up.
• Analysis/ similarities and differences between hollywood studio logos has been completed.

To Be Completed:

• Images need to be embedded to the stereotypical representations in thrillers/ horrors- Will be completed by 31/12/15.
• Analysis of BFI data on genre and audience with images of the tables and data- Will be completed by 31/12/15.
• Scripting, drafting and storyboard planning evidence- Will be completed by 31/12/15.

Task 2.2: Research Into Existing Products: Order of Opening Titles

According to codes and conventions, the correct order of titles (as demonstrated by the opening credits of Skyfall embedded above) is as follows:

1. Studio Logo
2. Studio/Producer Presents
3. Starring (Main Actor) and (Main Actor)
4. Title of Film
5. Cameraperson
6. Editor
7. Composer/Music by
8. Screenwriter
9. Producer
10. Director

It is important that I follow the conventional order of titles in my film's opening sequence.

Task 2.2: Research Into Existing Products: Studio Logos

When looking at famous film studio logos as inspiration for my own design, it became apparent that many Studio logos use a simple colour scheme of three main colours and either use iconic symbols or landmarks in their logo to make it memorable. 

Animals are a common feature in studio logos like MGM's which features a lion:

Another common theme I discovered was the use of mythology and mythical creatures in film studio logos such as Tristar's use of Pegasus and Hollywood Pictures's use of a Sphinx:

 

My initial design for a studio logo:

The common theme of mythology inspired me to name the studio "Artemis Studios" after the Greek goddess of the hunt, virginity, childbirth and the wilderness/ wild animals. this meant that I could also include the common theme of animals since Artemis's sacred animal was said to be a deer. The stars in the background add to the imagery of divine beings and could later be animated. The simple, dark colour scheme prevents the logo from seeming too complex and ensures it fits the codes and conventions of studio logos. 

My updated design for a studio logo:

In order to have an animated studio logo, I updated my ideas, keeping the name, colour theme and idea for an image of the a stag. The animation element in my studio logo involves the effect of white stars in the background fading. Initially, the logo appears to show a stag stood in front of some bright, white lights- reminiscent of an animal caught in the headlights. This bright light gradually fades to stars in the background. I used stop-motion animation in order to animate my studio logo. This involved making several versions of the logo with the star effect at different levels of intensity.

MR JUDGE FEEDBACK

1.   TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE OPENING OF SE7EN WITH IMAGES AND VIDEO EMBED FOR SE7EN

2.   CHRISTIAN METZ MODELS OF GENRE DEVELOPMENT – HORROR (12D ONLY) + IMAGES

3.   FILM NOIR & HISTORY OF GENRE (HSR) + IMAGES/VIDEO EMBEDS

4.   STEREOTYPICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THRILLER/HORROR GENRES/CHARACTERS

5.   TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF OPENING OF A HORROR FILM – WOMEN IN BLACK/SCREAM etc.

• 
  
• Women in Black analysis needs to be completed
• Film Noir analysis needs images/video clips to illustrate key points
• Prelim task clips needs to be embedded. 

Task 2.1- Research Into Existing Products: Se7en Opening Sequence Analysis

The whole opening sequence consists of close-up shots and extreme close-up shots which prevents the audience from seeing the whole picture, thus preserving the enigma and plot of the film. The close-ups seem to also be point of view shots which gives the audience the impression that the individual shown pays close attention to detail and is so meticulous with their actions that they may have mental health issues. The common camera position from above could indicate the amount of power the individual considers himself as having or intends to gain through his actions.

The lighting of the opening sequence is fairly poor and unnatural which suggests that it is set somewhere without natural light like a basement without windows. Although the setting is never clearly seen due to the opening sequence mainly consisting of close-up shots, the implied dark and isolated setting adds to the audience’s negative perception of the character shown. The cover of the scrapbook is similar to that of a composition book, which are commonly used in American schools, suggesting that the individual’s actions are his work rather than a mere hobby. The shot showing the individual shaving off his own fingerprints instantly identifies him as the antagonist of the plot to the audience since the only reasoning behind these actions is to evade being identified in connection with a crime scene. The idea of the individual’s obsession with gaining power is continued when he is shown to be censoring words like “intercourse”, “transsexual” and “pregnant” in informative texts which are one of the main indicators in the opening sequence that the antagonist is morally against sinning and going against the teachings of religion. He is also shown to be crossing out the eyes and later the whole face of an image of a boy which could either be the image of a future victim, or could be an image of the individual’s former self whose innocence he is trying to protect from who he has become. The detail put into the construction of the scrapbook suggests that the individual has obsessive compulsive tendencies as he writes multiple books full of tiny and precise writing. The shot showing the word “GOD” being cut out of money either suggests that the individual is trying to disassociate God with money and other materialistic and potentially sinful items or the individual is trying to prove that he is more powerful than God which seems less likely since other evidence suggests that he is a sufferer of “religious mania”. His destruction of currency also either implies that the individual is wealthy, or doesn’t care for materialistic items.

The editing of the opening sequence is non-linear and the transitions between the shots are very erratic and fast paced. This could be used to emphasise the unusualness of the actions and to reflect the individual’s mindset. The shots frequently fade suddenly to black. This and the jump cuts throughout the opening sequence could reflect how unpredictable the individual’s thoughts and actions are. Occasionally a red light or filter is used to show photos developing in a dark room. The use of the colour red links to the danger in the individual’s actions as well as showing the development of the plan being formed as the photos develop.

The non-diegetic sound similar to thunder at the start of the opening sequence could indicate that the footage is the calm before a storm, telling the audience that the actions shown during the opening sequence are merely a plan and are just the tip of the iceberg of what is to follow later in the film. The music over the opening sequence starts off as being a collection of random, unnatural and eerie sounds which ultimately come together to form something more recognisable as music around 1:12 when the picture of the young boy is shown as completely crossed out. The sudden change in the music coincides with the apparent completion of the scrapbook which implies that logic is taking over as the individual’s plan or project is finished. The repetitiveness of the music could also reflect the individual’s mental instabilities or the deterioration of his mental health. The only spoken words in the entire opening sequence are “You put me closer to God” which illustrates the importance of religion to the individual, implying that the antagonist’s actions are driven by religion and the desire to please and do the bidding of higher powers and divine beings. The fading non-diegetic sound similar to an explosion after the words “you put me closer to God” emphasises that the individual’s ultimate motivation is based on religion.

Task 2.1: Research Into Existing Products: Genre and Film noir

Where did genres come from?
The genre is usually reflective of the environment in the film, the theme or topic of the film, or on the mood and emotional tone of the film. Some genres originated from  fairy-tales and European myths and legends. Most genres originate from Hollywood when they began recreating the same types of films because they knew it would generate a profit.

How did the golden age of Hollywood reinforce genres?
The golden age of Hollywood occurred in the late 1920s to the early 1960s and was when Hollywood studios issued vast amounts of films. Hollywood studios producing many films helped to reinforce genres, because the studios learnt that films that followed certain conventions and themes would definitely produce a profit. Therefore, they continued to make similar types of films and refused to take risks in attempting to release unique and more complex films.

Which genres became popular in Hollywood?
Popular genres in Hollywood include slapstick comedy, westerns, horror (usually based on monsters), gangster films and science fiction.

Why do audiences like genre films?
Genre films are popular with audiences because they know what to expect from certain types of films and enjoy films that follow their expectations.

Film noir 
"Film noir" is a term coined by a French film critic that means "Black Film". Unlike westerns and gangster films, there are no character and setting requirements for the genre film noir. However, film noirs usually contain plot conventions and the iconic "low-key lighting" or "Chiaro-scuro". Film noir emerged in the crime genre through the low budjet, B-list films being made by the big 5 studios in the 30s to maximise their profit. The financial success of the big film studios allowed for more experimentation in film-making, allowing for improvements in film-making techniques and the emergence of new genres like film noir. Film Noirs are constrained by the "Motion picture Production Code," commonly known as the "Hays Code," which generally censored tabooed subjects in film and stated that no character can profit from crime and breaking the law.
german expressionism introduced the stark camera angles and chiaro-scuro (the use of strong contrasts between light and dark). In the 1920s, The studio Warner Brothers introduced the use of dry ice, close angles and cheaper studios and sets.

Video on the History of Film Noir:

Famous Film Noirs from the Golden Age of Hollywood

• Maltese falcon (1941)
• Double Indemnity (1944)
• Mildred Pierce (1945)
• The Big Sleep (1946)
• The Killers (1946)
• The Third Man (1949)
• The Asphalt jungle (1950)
• The Big Heat (1953)
• Kiss me Deadly (1955)
• The Night of the hunter (1955)

Codes and Conventions of Film Noir

Film Noir usually has a melancholic mood, with themes of alienation, paranoia, guilt, bleakness and moral corruption. A non-diegetic restricted narration is usually given by the detective hero of the plot. Jazz or blues music is a common element of Film Noir, but more dramatic music is often used to forebode dangers and twists in the plot.