Cloverfield Analysis

1. Theme - Thriller, action, sci-fi, documentary
2. Cinematography - wide shots, so you can see all the action, birds eye view, helicopters etc, special effects
3. Lighting - Dark, mysterious, conceals information
4. Editing - faced paced, quick cuts
5. Narrative - destruction of NewYork, catostrohic atmosphere, sense of serious danger
6. Sound - at first realistic and normal sounds, then later - emphatic sounds, sound cuts out
7. Characterisation - normal everyday citizen

Genre research continuted

We began to to study, label and easily recognise the conventions that exist between genres in film, used in producing, distributing institution and audience. Dudley Andrew says: "Genre is a contract between audience and the film" so with this in mind we began to analyse two films from different genres. Concentrating on mise en scene, lighting, cinematography, narrative, representative of characters, themes, sound and editing.

The first film we looked at under the genre social realism was 'Sommers Town' a British black and white film directed by Shane Meadows.

1. Theme - a story of a poor London environment, showing teenagers facing their troubles, 'coming of age'
2. Cinematography - Documentary style, independant movie so the framing is not always perfect but is effect when done properly.
3. Lighting - black and white, dark stark shots, natural lighting, stark
4. Editing - straightforward, eye level, slow paced
5. Narrative - realistic storyline, isnt a big action adventure, just your typical gritty English setting, ordinary people in an ordinary setting
6. Sound - Diagetic noises, simple soundtrack, leaving room for dialogue, characters have strong accents, soft - low production value
7. Characterisation - working class, non-profesional actors, no big A-listers

List of possible shots

• Teenage girl - close ups of face
• Party scenes
• Running
• Riding footage - past and present
• Emphasis on riding costume/ clothing
• Flashing lights
• Taking drugs/drinking/boys
• Two contrast shots - one of the girl looking good and healthy and one with her looking a mess/ill
• Dinner table scene with family?
• Sunrise or Sunset
• Passed out - birds eye view
• Doors being slammed
• Crying
• Parents revelations
• Bubbles

Vox Pop Evaluation

After filming our Vox Pop there were many ideas mentioned that we should include in our trailer. The people we used to take part in the question and answer session were, we decided, our target audience - Young adults/teens. (16 - 25 years old?) Therefore it would be very sensible to follow what they want to make our trailer as successful as possible. 

A major issue that was noted from our audience research was that the storyline should be relevant to topics young people our age are often faced with. Our interviewees then went on the suggest issues we could use, such as drugs, sex, drinking, parties, family problem, money issues, gun crime, bullying, and relationships to mention a few. Now we are able to be more specific to what issues our film is going to tackle due to audience interests. Another key question raised was that the trailer should be mysterious. This would mean lots of questions being asked, that would be answered in the film, making our target audience want to find out the answers by going to see the film. Although this is a regally used concept in trailers, looking back at previous A2 Media Studies coursework sometimes too much information is given away and therefore there is not much point in going to see the film. Music is another crucial ingredient for our trailer to be successful. Our target market mentioned that they should also be able to relate to the music in the trailer as this should be representing the style of music throughout the film. The music also relate to the pace of the trailer, which should, according to our research, build up to a climax, peeking our audiences’ interest making them excited and wanting to see your film.

Thank you very much to all contributors who participated in our audience research.

Vox Pop

Film Trailer Conventions

1. Voice overs - used to tell the story and give credit information
2. Stars of the film need to be showcased
3. Key points - sometimes conveyed through titles
4. Conversations between characters - consisting of one liners
5. Dramatic camera angles - used to show events or characters
6. Action - inter spread with actor/ director/ credits on screen
7. Music - plays an important role in creating atmosphere
8. Film title - appears at the end
9. Climatic build throughout the whole trailer
10. Include montage to highlight drama, comedy, and other fast paced aspects of the film

We also researched multi-modal texts to develop a better meaning and knowledge of them, so we can introduce it into our own trailer. They are a feature that create meaning through a powerful combination of different modes of communication, including:

• written text on screen
• spoken language
• moving image
• sound effects
• music

Genre

When concentrating on genre, me and my partner narrowed it down to the two we enjoyed most and thought would be most interesting to focus on. These two are thriller/horror and social realism. When studying horror/ thriller we looked back on our previous media coursework to gain inspiration and possible ideas, as well as looking at many current and past movie trailers.

To help me out with the research on film, I recently watched Mark Cousin's 'The Story of Film' television series. He discussed the beginning of horror movies in the 1920's and 30's, and reveals how horror movies get closer to the nervous system than any other film genre. I realised that this is exactly what we want our movie to do also - as connecting with the audience is one of the most important aspects of creating a trailer.

Two examples he used stood out to me the most. Firstly, 'The Golem' made in 1920 directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener, this German expressionist film is unique in its storyline as well as its composition. Forming diagonals through interesting use of lighting and setting. Obviously our film will not be as emotionally deep and stark in plot as this film as its subject is based around a mythical creature protecting Jewish families. But I chose to look at it for its unusual sets, the contrast between black and white and the fact that it is a silent film intreeged me.

This film is said to have been an inspiration for James Whale's version of Frankenstein (1931) as we was fond of German cinema. This movie showed a new style and mood, at the same time as being melancholy, but still allowing the monster to be visusually repulsive.  The movie also became the starting point for Universal as horror movies quickly became their trademark. Cousin's discusses how fear became a pleasure for the average movie goer and how Universal began to exploit this.