I have been analysing a previous group's work to help get a good idea on what is a Level 4 piece looks like. They went into great detail with every piece of research and from this they had a great outcome in their final production. To get an even clearer understanding on what could be achieved I want to focus on each micro element they contributed to the production of what they called Reminiscence. Group 6- Reminiscence
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Thinking about our production, I decided to look at past media studies students opening sequence to expand my knowledge and understanding of the requirements and to gain a clearer perspective of how to achieve a high grade. I decided to look at the codes and conventions used by other students to create the suspense, tension and anticipation usually associated with thrillers. This opening scene demonstrates many different codes and conventions associated with thriller movies. For example, the non-diegetic music throughout instantly creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, keeping the target audience intrigued. The opening sequence consists of many different shots rather than one ongoing shot. This adds tension to the opening as the audience doesnt see the whole setting and therefore only specific key elements are shown. This helps me to realise that to keep the target audience interested, quick duration, jump shots and close ups are an excellent way to do this when thinking about our prodcuction.
I personally think that the font used was applicable to this type of thriller as it stands out on the background however it is not intrusive. The non-diegetic music creates a mysterious atmosphere as the audience anticipates the climax. The opening scene doesn't include any dialogue however it does include non-diegetic and diegetic sound. I feel that this doesn't allow the audience to relate to the character as much, making the audience lose interest. I feel that the lack of connection between the audience and the characters was however made up for in the amount of close-ups used as emotions were demonstrated carefully. The editing used from 1:37 to 1:42 makes it unclear to wether the key is reminding her of a past memory or pre-empting a premonition which confused me slightly. Therefore this helps me to realise that when creating our production we should be sure to have a clear narrative which can be easily interpreted. There is high key lighting throughout the scene which is a counter type of a typical thriller movie - however i feel that this gives the scene a more realistic outtake, however it does not build suspense or tension. In order to gauge what is possible in a student production I decided to look at some past A grade thriller film
I really liked the effects of using street and car lights during to open the sequence. Straight away the darkness connotes danger and mystery which is a well used code and convention associated with horror or thriller films. The black and white pan mid shot of the women walking with the non diagetic sound voice over in the creates tension and mystery with the words. The non diagetic music in gets faster and louder as the mid shot of the car pulls into the drive way. This connotes anticipation as up until this time the audience has not known who was driving the car. The tilted shots and quick edits suggest that the man stumbling into the door is drunk which creates a sense of panic as to what he has done or what he is going to do, this could be considered as an action code, as the audience are waiting to see what he does when he opens the door. I like the way the font is small and fades in and out in different parts of the screen because its noticeable but doesn't take the attention away from the actual production. The fact its white makes it stand out on the background. The hand held camera and short duration shots with the diagetic sound of screams create a sense of fear but makes you want to watch more. The hand held camera gets more shaky towards the end when the woman is running which engages the audience within the narrative. . The font at the end is in red which contrasts with the black background. The style of font is a bit plain and does not suggest the horror/thriller genre. This will be something our group will look into in depth as it is the details which tend to get over looked with student productions. The last shot is very dramatic as the camera pans up the woman's body, revealing the blood and her ripped clothes. I am not sure as an opening sequence that this works because the killer has already been identified so where does the narrative go from there. Perhaps if its a circular narrative this works as an opening. Blood and death are stereotypical in thriller or horror films which is why they incorporated that into their production. The use of sound in psychological thrillers is very important in order to create an atmosphere of tension and suspense. You can't just have someone going through a forest without the typical sounds of wind, twigs breaking, owls and so on. These sounds are what make the scene more tense, jumpy and has the audience feeling nervous with each movement. It gives us the audience an idea of how the character is feeling. The audience can tell by the type of music whether its getting louder, more eerie and high pitched that something could jump out at any moment and when the music relaxes again for when nothing is expected. Music is used as a kind of warning, and to get the full atmosphere. Other psychological thriller sounds involve around rain, thunderclap, footsteps, loud bangs, scratching of the floor and screams. Most of the sounds are from music they created to fit well into the scene. Rain I would say is the most common and stereotypical of psychological thriller sounds. Its meant to be a calming element but something about rain is rather menacing its unlikely to have good outcomes, unless coming from a romance. An example of rain is throughout Identity.
Lionsgate is a leading global organisation used in many opening sequences in media texts. formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 3, 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Since it was founded in 1997, there have been many different logos. Its the seventh most profitable movie studio. The logo in the top left hand corner was from 1997-1998. The plain white writing stands out on the black plain background which draws the attention to the logo more. The lion figure emphasises the name 'lions gate'. The next logo came about after the first one in 2998-2004. It hasn't changed much since the first apart from the colour. The third logo was 2004-2012. The logo has dramatically changed from the one before. Lionsgate have gone for a completely different look to recreate their image. The last three are from 2012 until now. The font of the text is cleverly chosen as its really bold and stresses the name of the company. Before the main title sequence comes, a short clip showing mechanical cogs turning with the camera zooming out rapidly to reveal the key hole then opening the 'gates' of the sky. As the gates open, it shows the clouds and the word "Lionsgate". The non diagetic sound of the dramatic music adds to the build up of the title at the end.
The establishing font is making it stand out in contrast with the black background - this is a typical convention of opening sequences as it keeps the audience interested. The colour scheme denotes all the typical codes and convention of a colour scheme for a thriller by using the dark/black and white colour palette. The film title is bold with a silver metallic look again to make the title standout. The entire opening sequence is done using computer graphics. The graphics denote the black liquid which seems to be oil is embracing different object. For example, the denotation of a keyboard connotes the idea of the film being based on technology. The quick duration cuts suggests the film is quick pace which reflects the idea of murder and crime. Oil caresses the objects in quite a sensual manner which may connote mystery. The liquid represents power as it is flowing fast through certain objects. The font itself has continuity as it is flowing which parallels the oil. Throughout the opening scene the white font does not change this another example of continuity. The movement of the person being covered by the oil could suggest the film to be of a horror/crime genre as the movement connotes murder. The quick cuts and fast edits create confusion which emphasise this idea of murder. As a match falls onto the body it clarifies tat the substance is oil as the whole body is lit. This could suggest the method of murder. This keeps the audience intrigued. There may be another murder in the film or this may be the same body and someone is hiding the evidence. This could suggest that the narrative structure could be circular. After reviewing many different psychological thrillers, I definitely found this title sequence the most evocative. I couldn't find just the opening sequence and so i will only be analysing this clip up to 2:15. The sequence opens with a black screen and white font, immediately standing out when juxtaposed with the background - this not only attracts the audience, but it makes me feel as though the boldness mimics the storyline of the courageous characters. The edit then cuts to a short clip of human/animal cells moving around freely which insinuates the idea of human's freedom or the exploration of humans and their behaviour. Suspense is already built in the title sequence in the next edit as it shows an extreme close-up of something eating something else (it's hard to recognise) which, for me, hints at the idea of "the survival of the fittest" which essentially mirrors the narrative of the film once again. I feel that the juxtaposition of the lively, dynamic edit and the black screen with white font contrasts in such a way that it demonstrates the guards and the prisoners in the film itself. The non-diegetic music paralleled with the opening sequence begins being calmer and eerie however it speeds up at 1:14 creating tension as the audience anticipates something exciting to happen already - which then thrills them. The quick edits and jump cuts juxtapose animals and humans when fighting which suggests there to be no difference in humans and animals - almost as though we act in similar ways. This is reflective of the film as it suggests that when put in the right conditions, humans can be manipulated to take on roles or behave in certain manners and this being juxtaposed with the idea of animals creates conflict and hostility. From 1:52 until 2:08, the edit focuses on only humanistic skirmishes which to some extent compares humans to animals and suggests equality in the way of thinking and the actions taken. The quick time-lapse of clips of animals fighting speeds up the consumers adrenaline and builds apprehension as to why animals and humans are so alike and this intrigues the target audience.
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