WL - Wolf Creek Opening Analysis

Wolf Creek (2005) Director: Greg McLean

So the intro of wolf creek starts with a group of 3 youngish people about to set of on a road trip and there buying a car. Theres a long flash back of the party the night before which involves lots of drinking, smoking and sex thus following common slasher conventions. The people wake up the next morning and set of on the journey, this gives an overveiw of rural australia and the wide outback which really enforces the sense of isolation. When it acctually gets to the part where they wake up theres plenty of close ups to show the characters emotions. What also help build up tension is the long opening and it takes a while to get going. Overall the film does a good job of creating a tense atmophere and one I would like to emulate when it comes to my own coursework piece. 

WL - Terror Train Opening Analysis

Terror Train (1980) Director: Roger Spottiswoode

The film opens with a group of teens having a party for new years eve. A boy gets tricked into going upstairs to have sex with a girl who is actually a dead body. The rest of the teens come in and start laughing as he freaks out and the scene fades to black. Again common slasher devices are used: teenagers drinking and partying. Overall the intro is about 6 minutes long. This traumutising experiance leads the teen to become a killer. Another key note is the film features Jamie Lee Curtis who appeard in haloween and prom night. The clothing of the characters is important as well as it shows they are college students. There isnt alot of exposision in the opening scene just a brief introduction to a few of the characters. However should you be a fan of slasher films its quite easy to figure out what the plot might hold in store. One of the interesting points of the film and what makes it unique is the killings take place on a train. Overall it has many of the common slasher devices which build tension and suspence.

WL - Last House on the Left Opening Analysis

Last House On The Left (1972) Director: Wes Craven

As with a few slasher films the opening starts of by saying these where real events. This may not be true but certainly makes everything seem a lot more scary. So it starts in a peaceful scenic setting with a mail man deliviering mail to a girls door. He goes through the mail which provides exposion on her name and age so we know shes a teenage girl. After this the titles play and you see Mari in the shower. So then her mum and her have an argument about her wearing reveiling clothing but she brushes it off and proceeds to go out with her friend. They go of into the woods and drink and talk. This is showing the moral code involved. However the atmosphere is still very peaceful and there is no signs of danger and you would even know its a slasher film if you had not known before. Also there is no clear final girl or scream queen so far, Mari and her friend both have brown hair and both appear to be breaking the 'moral code' in some way which isnt commom in slashers. The reason for this where it was made before Halloween which is where the main features of a slasher are set out. Also there isnt really a clear part where the opening finishes, However the titles play after only one minute and thirty seconds. Overall this film dosent seem to apply most modern slasher features.

WL - My Bloody Valentine Opening Analysis

My Bloody Valentine (1981) Director: George Mihalka

The Intro starts with one paramount ident and goes striaght in with titles over two miners walking through a mine shaft. The constumes look quite ominous and scary. There is polysemy as to who these people actually and why they are in the mine shaft in the first place. There are lots of low dutch angles used to increase the tension and you feel the suspense is builing up to something. The mineshaft also gives a clotrophopic and isolated feel. 

Then one of the miners starts to take there boiler suit off to actually reveil she is a woman and that they may be in the mineshaft for a sexual liaison. There is a type of false scare where the miner who we still dont know appers to swing and the woman with the pick axe however is only sticking it in the wall. This gives the impression of the pick axe has some weight behind it and is not just a foam object or similar. Titles continue however the first miner still hasnt taken there mask of so we become quite suspicious. The woman involved is also blonde and obviously sexually active which is an instant indicator of what is going to happen. The first miners hand starts to shake and suddenly pushes the woman onto the pick axe in the wall which stabs through her and the camera pans into her screaming mouth and the title scene commences.

WL - Black Xmas Opening Analysis

Black Xmas (2006) Director: Glen Morgan

The Film starts out with two idents for the big horror company at the time Dimension and 2929 Entertainment. The film starts with what would seem to be a house decorated for christmas time, however the atmosphere still feels a little creepy. It then cuts to a woman opening a bottle of wine with a red corkscrew and everything in the room is red. This could connote blood and possibly foreshadows what is to come.

 You hear voices in the background so the scene does not feel to isolated but then there appears to be a creepy rustling sound coming from the cupboard. But its a false scare as its only an updraft coming from the ventilation in the house. So she sits backdown and relises her pen is missing. Suddenly a bag is put over her head and there is a momentary struggle until she is stabbed in the face by her own pen and it suddenly cuts to the title which is in a red seriff font on a black background.

WL - Buried Alive Opening Analysis

Buried Alive (2007) Director: Robert Kurtzman

So the film starts out with two company idents and cuts to a woman shaving in a bath. Most slasher fans would definetly see this as a sign of danger due to many famous scenes in bathrooms in past films. However everthing seems fine as who appears to be her boyfriend comes in and they joke around however things suddenly change as she is forced under the water by the man and struggles with him.


 But it turns out to be a false scare as she wakes up from her dream and everything is fine. Another man comes in who is her boyfriend and he gets in the bath with her signifying she is sexually active so possibly a scream queen although she has brown hair. Titles play over this sequence and it then cuts to a sunny garden where the introduction ends. Overall the Intro is just under five minutes long.

WL - Hell Night Opening Analysis

Hell Night (1981) Director: Tom DeSimone

The First scene is a close up of a woman screaming which then quickly cuts to medium panning shot possibly stedi cam of a massive party full of teens. Interestingly there are no company idents and the title for the film play straight away in a red seriff font which connotes blood which would be in keeping with the title and theme of the film. Diagetic music is playing in the back ground and teens are dancing, drinking and smoking which is often seen in this sort of slasher film. Another thing to note is that the takes are alot longer as it is an older film from the genre.

The camera then cuts to the inside of the mansion where they are partying where exposision is provided telling us that it is a fraternaty party and there is going to be some sort of initiation which is hinted at. Lots of the girls are in fancy dress and in very revieling clothing. Here we also get an idea of a possible final girl, She is much more appropriatly dressed than the rest of the possible scream queens and looks to be the sensible one and socially awkward  she is not seen drinking or participating in any of the moral taboos which are found in films of this genre. There are a few close ups of certain character who have dialog which possibly means they will play a part in whats to come.

The scene then quickly cuts to a bunch of cars driving down the road with select members of the party in them who are going to take part in this initiation. The possible final girl mention earlier is now wearing an outfit which resembles red riding hood. The red over coat possibly signifies blood shed again, however she looks very innocent in it. The smaller group then proceed to go through the gates into the gardens of the infamous 'Garth Manor'. Exposision is then provided and the groups task is to stay in the manor for one night. The leader of the fraternity then proceeds to explain what took place at the manor twelve years ago which was the killing of 4 family members and a suicide which provides exposion and the reason for why its 'haunted'. The group dont seem to concerned as most of them are intoxicated and they laugh and oke about the deaths. It is also said they did not find one of the bodys which gives us an idea of who the killer might be even though there has been no sign of one yet.

It is not clear where the intro ends as the titles play at the very beginning, however what ive got is that its around ten minutes. The intro has given me further ideas on how we could develop our own coursework piece and how i can encorperate some of the techniques used into my own work.

WL - I Still Know What You Did Last Summer - Opening Analysis

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) Danny Cannon 

Unlike the last film this one starts out with 5 lenghty company idents which take up around to minutes. The titlles shows and screaming and voices are heard in the background which is quite affective. The shot fade in quickly on a close up of a statue which looks as if its crying. Theres a close up of a woman in a misty church which cuts to an extreme longshot establishing shot of the woman in an empty misty church but we still dont see her face. She goes into a confesion box which is framed well through the grating in the wall.

She talks and there are subtitles played over due to the wispering. She provides exposision on what happend and how she killed a man and nobody else knows about it. She talks about having dreams about the killer and her friends. She tells the priest the killers name 'Ben Willis'. The priest turns to her and tells her he know what she did last summer and smashes through the wall and she screams and wakes up in the middle of her classroom. She talks to her friend Will about whats been happening. Suddenly a passer bye on a bike sets of some fireworks as a false scare and she screams again. Its the anniversary of when what happend last summer occurd. Throughout this you get the sense she is a final girl through church and books and the brown hair. You get the impression theres some love interest between these two characters as they leave each other. 

She has another discussion with another friend who was involved in what happend but they argue and he leaves. The teen apppears to be living on her own in isolation and looks distressed throughout the opening. She has a photo of her friend who im guessing dies in the previous film to show a bit of exposision. Again this opening dosent have a clear ending and no titles are played. Overall the start has a sombre and meloncholic atmosphere with a couple of false scares to raise the tension at the start.

WL - Clown House Opening Analysis

Clown House (1989) Director: Victor Salva

The film starts of with only one company ident which plays for a short time and then goes straight into the opening. Exposision is provided at showing a poster of a circus that is coming to town. The films main theme plays on the fear many people have of clowns. The titles start over an establishing shot of an old mansion and theres a man hung from a tree dead which is a shocking opening image. The music is a mix of creepy and a circus theme which ties in with the title. Also the sound of howling wind creates a tense atmosphere. The camera cuts to the inside of the house as the titles are still playing and pans past some clown related toys with the creepy sound of laughter in the background.

The camera then pans onto a boy who is in bed and gets up and out of bed and looks out the window to see the body swinging in the wind. His face is expressionless and he doesnt seem to phased by the whole thing. He goes down stairs in his pyjamas and short quick sting notes play which ups the tension. He looks down the corridor as if someone is there and begins walking down. The camera comes up behind him from a low angle giving the imprssion he is bieng followed. Then suddenly the poster we saw earlier blow onto the door of the house with a large quick string note giving the auidience a false scare.

The boy has a horrified look on his face as he sees the clown on the poster and then wets himslef whilst standing up. He then quickley wakes up from the dream he was having looking relieved. The camera pans back to the outside of the house where the body was hanging in his dream and it is still there. The scene outside fades into day and the introduction finishes which lasts around 4 minutes.

WL - Hostel 2 Opening Analysis

Hostel 2 (2007) Director: Eli Roth

The are no idents at the start, however it starts with a white seriff font on a block background with 'Quentin Tarintino Presents' and then fades into a man in some sort of boiler suit searching through someones back and emptying the contents. The room is lit only buy the fire possibly from a fernice in the background which creates an earie an sinister feel. The only sound is Diagetic and the sound of the fire and the emptying of the back. Also there is polysemy as the scene does not show the mans face so you wonder what his job is and why he is there. He goes through the mans walet but puts the money on the side. There is also some exposision as the persons identity on the walet shows he is American and possibly a victim of the killer, but again you do not see the mans face on the I.D as the persons thumb is covering it.

The camera then cuts to these belongings bieng burnt on what appears to be some sort of grill. This is possibly to destroy evidence and we get the sense this man is an Antagonist. There is long takes of the belonging bieng burnt and the titles carry on over it. There is still only the sound of burning which keeps up the mysterious atmoshpere. The camera then cuts back to an extreme longshot as the man appears to take his suit off, however when this happens the camera blurs slightly and then fades slowly to black meaning you still dont get a view of the man which keeps up the narrative enigma.

Saw 2- Opening Analysis

Saw 2 (2005) Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

It starts off by showing the ident for “Twisted Pictures” It then shows another ident for the same company although this time it is in text rather than the animation. This time it say’s “Twisted Pictures Presents”. This is on a dark background with white, san serif font.

It fades to a black screen and a lightbulb appears, it seems to have a faint green light around it and is flickering on, this connotes a heart beating. It then fades to another black screen where you can hear a man breathing heavily, this builds tension and makes the person think a killing may happen soon. Over the top of the man breather you then see the light appear again which is flickering.  The title “Film by Darren Lynn Bousman”, you again see the light and hear the breathing.

The next shot is a panning shot which shows a silver tray and it pans to the other side revealing another light. This is a point of view, of him looking round although you don’t know that yet. You see a hand grab a the mirror and he swings it round, from the view of the mirror you only see half of his face, the other half is cut of the screen although you can see a bloody eye, he starts panicking and you see a metal structure around his neck. The person is male with dark hair and in his early 20s.

A quick zoom out occurs; this turns into an extreme long shot showing the room and the person is centred in the frame, he is sitting in a chair in a structure. It then zooms in quickly to a high angled shot; this makes the person look weak and inferior, while doing this he is screaming for someone to help him.

A static noise comes on, sounding from a television, he panics and jumps out the seat when he turns round the television turns on and jigsaw gives him the instructions to escape. He tries to pull the bear trap off while being given the instructions. On top of the television are a set of pictures these quickly flash into the screen and then cut back to jigsaw and the male screaming. The pictures are an x ray of what he has inside his eye.

After being given the instructions it shows a close up of a toolbox on the floor, which the male rushes to, he gets a tool out and puts it close to his eye, as he tries to put it in he stops and doesn’t want to do it to himself, the timer starts and there is a lot of fast editing cutting between his eye and the clock. When the puts the tool close to his eye, you never see this as it cuts to a different angle of his face. This is used to avoid having to use special effects make up. As the timer counts down from 30 seconds and ends the bear trap closes and the male falls to the floor dead, he is laid on his side and blood flows out of the cage to show he is not alive.

Hostel Opening Analysis

Hostel (2005) Director: Eli Roth

It stats of with 2 company idents, the second one has the sound of spilling which could denote blood. It then shows the 2 titles of the production companies. Over that you can hear the sound of a man whistling. It then shows a tap dripping and a man brushing the floor although you can't see it his do to him being blurred. Over this titles are being placed, these are in a large white, serif font .

Although the man is not being shown you can still here him whistling, meanwhile it is showing light red coloured bubbles on a wall this could denote that blood has been cleaned up. It then cuts to another another shot where some shears/large scissors start shaking,

Scream 2 Opening Analysis

Scream 2 (1997) Director: Wes Craven

Couple before being murdered

The film starts by people queuing to go watch a slasher film. The characters shown are a male and female couple; the female says "I hate scary movies and you know I got a bio due" this shows that the female may be the scream queen in the film as she is not doing her work and going to watch a film instead, although she insists on wanting to go see Sandra Bullock instead, the girl is Afro-American with black short hair; which does not follow the usual traits of a scream queen although she seems to be both sexually active and is not doing her school work. When they go into the room where the film is going to be screened a white girl with blonde hair is being chased outside by a male wearing a ghost mask with a knife; this relates back to the first film and the scream queen being killed (as well as that the girl being chased follows the typical scream queen look).


The male say's "No one would pay to see that unless she was naked of course" this show's that they are free to talk about sexual acts, this gives you a lead that they may soon be killed. It also makes the pair seem heterosexual. Throughout the opening of the film it shows how the pair are actually a couple first by the male comforting the female as she is scared by the film and then as they both kiss. 
    
The opening two actors are both Afro-American. Ethnicity is brought up in the first minute and a half of the film; the woman persists in telling the male about what will happen in the film they are about to watch. The female talks only about white people featuring in the film and what will happen to them, even saying that they will be killed. This is the opposite as in the opening of the film the couple are killed. This is the opposite to the majority of slasher films where the scream queen is caucasian and blonde haired. 

Teenagers in Cinema

The main characters in the film are teenagers; like in most slasher films- due to the target audience being between 15-25. The film starts off by teenagers going to see another slasher film, this is filled with teenagers and you barely see any adults present, as well as that the main actress (Sidney Prescott) now attends college, which is where the film is based, you first know this after she is hoarded by media outside of it.

Quantum of Solace Opening Analysis

    The films starts by showing the producing company idents which are MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) and Colombia Pictures. During the Colombia Pictures company ident  quick paced music is placed over the top, which eventually gets quicker.

Mysterious Island

 
After the company ident's have played an establishing shot is shown of an island which is getting closer, it would seem your in some sort of vehicle as the camera isn't zooming in but you are going past the waves, possibly a helicopter. From what you can see of the island it is all rural land and there is no civilization.
   
     From that you can then hear the noise of car engines in the background played below the music. It then quickly cuts to a seperate shot showing the side of the car, the bonnet of the car and the exhaust of the car, these show the signs of a sports car possibly showing that the car may be racing or going at a fast pace. It then cuts back to the shot of the island, getting closer to it, it again, cuts to another clip showing 2 cars this time. It shows the back of the cars you can only see below the window of both cars, while only seeing half of the car infront, you can tell from the logo of the car that it is an Alfa Romeo. It then cuts to a shot showing a rack of ammunition while the music is building up causing tension, this could connote that a killing is about too or has previously taken place. It then shows the front of the Alfa Romeo; showing 2 people in the car, while not giving the identity of the car infront or the driver of the car this builds suspense.
    As the music rises it cuts back to a shot of the island where it is now almost reaching it; you can see a tunnel. It then shows a shot of a tire spinning this denotes fast pace and action; it shows a series of shots of the car but not the full image; it shows the car logo, an Aston Martin. These are known to appear in James Bond films and the main character drives them. It then cuts to an extreme close up of the drivers eyes which adds mystery as you want to know who he is while cutting to a black shot before the driver presses a button. It quickly cuts back to the shot of the island which now arrives at the tunnel; cutting between images of the acceleration pedal, gear stick, bonnet and finally tyres where it zooms outwards to show a longshot of the car, although it still doesn't show the car in full.
    From the wing mirror you see the Alfa Romeo behind; the man is hanging out of the window shooting at the car infront. The driver infront crashes into a truck causing a flash of images to appear of the car spinning; the driver escapes this, this could denote he is an experienced driver and knows what he is doing. From this you also notice the driver is wearing a suit; which you wouldn't normally expect a murderer to wear this could connote that he is an assasin instead.
    After the crash in the tunnel the music stops; it picks up again after they leave the tunnel, the music is fast paced and is of a drum noise banging twice. This could connote a heartbeat or adrenaline pumping after his near death experience, the music could also reflect new villains appearing after the ones before died. When the drivers come out of the tunnel the shot type is an extreme longshot panning around the corner, it then shows the driver's face fully for the first time. Gunshots fire again as they turn through a tunnel where a policeman starts speaking in a different language; showing it is a different country. It cuts back to the drivers while the policeman keeps talking as the cars accelerate so does his speech, the police then start to follow.

Establishing shot of new location

     As a new location emerges an establishing shot is shown of the location which appears to be a building site, as the cars come round the corner it then cuts to behind the cars this shows how fast the cars are travelling at as the camera is now behind them. While on the construction site the diggers are still working showing the land is unprepared and dangerous.

Police are useless

    As the policemen follow the 2 vehicles they start shooting at the apparent villains in the Alfa Rome, as soon as they do that the villains fire back causing them to crash into a newly built building and causing them to crash off the mountain. This connotes how the police have no power and are weak compared to the other characters.

Pathway either side

Helicopter Shot

As the police car lands at the bottom of the mountain the gear box is shown where he begins to accelerate; this connotes the faster they go the more dangerous it is. The music quickens the pace as the shots vary between the cars going round the mountain and gunfire from the car behind, again showing danger.

    As the cars go side to side you can tell it is going to be the end very soon, you can tell this shortly after as a digger appears in front. The shot shows the 2 cars and the digger in the middle suggesting they can only go either side and one side will lead to death. The driver of the Aston Martin is then enabled to grab his gun and shoot the car forcing them to fall off of the mountain, this is shot using a helicopter shot. The wreckage is shown after following a low angle shot of where the car came from this makes it feel like the mountain has won as it is a low angled shot making it imposing.



    The shot then blacks out. The next shot is of the Aston Martin driving slowly for the first time in a town, this is the complete opposite to what as just happened as the mountain was rural while this is urban land. Another opposite is how damaged the car was while it was in the rural land it was perfect now it is almost destroyed. The angle then lifts into the air showing an establishing shot of the town, a title comes up on the screen saying "Siena, Italy", this dispurses into a high angled shot.

Estbalishing Shot of Siena

Low angled shot showing car entering Tunnel.

The Aston Martin pulling into a tunnel. The tunnel is dark and looks imposing as the car drives up at a low angled shot building mystery as the location is unknown. The man then gets out of the car and opens the boot, a man is tied up, this is the question as to why he was being chased. The driver of the car then say's "It's time to get out" this is where it fades out onto a black screen.

Film Franchise- Scary Movie

Scary Movie Franchise

This is the poster for the first film
 in the Scary Movie franchise

The film franchise I am researching is the Scary Movie franchise. This franchise consists of 4 films and they are based on spoofing several horror films, such as Scream and I know what you did last summer. Together the films have made over $818 million worldwide at box office.

Films:

Scary Movie (2000)

Budget: $19,000,000 (estimated)

Box Office:$278,019,771 (Worldwide) 

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans

Ratings: 6.0/10 from 86,049 users

Scary Movie 2

Budget: $45,000,000 (estimated)

Box Office: $141,220,678

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans

Ratings: Ratings: 4.8/10 from 55,325 users 

Scary Movie 3

Budget: $45,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office: $220,673,217 (Worldwide)
Director: David Zucker
Ratings: Ratings: 5.3/10 from 52,999 users

Scary Movie 4

Budget: $45,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office: $178,262,620 (Worldwide)
Director: David Zucker
Ratings: Ratings: 5.0/10 from 48,154 users 

Scary Movie 5 is expected to be released in 2012 and is again being directed by David Zucker.

Reviews:

Ends up being less funny than its primary target, the already-self-satirizing Scream series.

 -Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com

Scary Movie is a good showcase for a talented, youthful cast, and the film is carried with aplomb by newcomer Faris, a fearless comedian and an appealing ingénue. - Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times

Practically guaranteed to make you laugh until you're ashamed of yourself. -Joe Leydon Variety

Labored, Naked Gun-ish quotes from The Matrix, The Blair Witch Project, and The Usual Suspects merely congratulate us for recognizing them. -Michael Atkinson Village Voice

The only thing scary about this movie is that it took $155 million in the States. While it was inevitable that the current flood of self-referential teen horror movies would ultimately descend into parody, the fact that it should be done with such crassness is rather a shame. -Film4


Overall the film had mixed reviews. 

Budget and Box Office Analysis:

The first film had a low budget compared to all the other films made in the franchise as it only had an approximate budget of $19 million, it also made the most money at box office with $278 million which is almost $60 million more than any other film. The budget's then rose up to an estimated $45 million for the next 3 films. Scary Movie 2 was the worst film of them all, it had a $45 million budget while only grossing $141 million; half of what the first film did, it also made half of what the other 3 films did during the opening weekend grossing only $20 million.

The first and second film had a 1 year release gap, this was doubled for the film and then the 4th installment was released 3 years later. The 5th film in the franchise is set to be released in 2012, which is a 5 year gap.

The Killer:  

In the first scary movie the killer is wearing the mask from the movie franchise "Scream". The killer is setting out to kill the characters in the film after they killed an old man 1 year before, they dumped his body in a river. 

Victim's/Scream Queen


The first victim in the film is Drew Decker, she is being chased through her home; although she has multiple chances to save herself she chooses the wrong options- such as picking a banana up instead of a gun or knife, choosing the "Death" path instead of the "Safe" path. 


Final Girl


In the first film, Scary Movie, the final girl survives her name is Cindy Campbell. Her name is a parody of Sidney Prescott from the Scream series and her last name of Neve Campbell's last name.

Eden Lake Opening analysis

Eden Lake (2008) Director: James Watkins

The Eden Lake introduction lasts for 6 minutes and it involves a range of background characters as well as 2 main characters who are on screen the majority of the time.


It starts of by showing a lake but it is really bright and only lasts for a few seconds, it then switches to a picture of a woman screaming, this denotes violence. These could be flashbacks or memories from earlier in life as you don't see the full image only part of the it. Then it introduces you to the title of the film: Eden Lake, this is on a black background with red text and a sans serif font. A sans seriff font usually  this connotes danger and murder.

 The plot seems to be a couple going for a romantic weekend away at a lake, this is known by the woman saying "They are going to paris for the weekend and we are going to a lake!". As well as that; there is a scene in a car where the male character turns on the vibrating chair while their on the journey to the lake, the woman enjoys it and the male asks whether she wants him to pull over this denotes sexual activity and romance between the two. The soundtrack is slow and quiet which plays during scenes where their isn't much dialogue.

As the scenes are playing it introduces several roles such as who is starring, director, special make up effects designer and executive producers amongst others, these are also placed where their isn't anyone speaking on screen, they did this so it wouldn't take attention away from the film. These are shown as people may be more interested and not turn off the movie if they recognise an actor or actress they like in the film.

Their are several clues as to what is going to happen during the film, the first is when they are about to arrive at the bed and breakfast where they are staying, as they are about to leave the traffic lights several yobs on bikes ride infront of them, as well as that when they are at a pub, a woman hits their child across the face for messing about, this could connote what is going to happen later on in the film.

Bradford Film Festival

The film festival was an awesome experience for me, it was a chance to see, first hand, how others made short films and what they had included. The first thing I did at the film festival was Experience Tv, this showed you how shows are made and showed as well as the history of television. After that we went to a Q & A session with the Phelp brothers from Harry Potter, it was really interesting to find out what it was like for them during filming and having an insight into their lives. 

  We then went to Screening 1, which was my favourite part about the film festival, we got to see other people's work from all over the country. Overall the short films were well done and enjoyable to watch. My favourite shot was after someone had been caught stabbing someone else, his face was being pushed through a metal fence which reminded you of a prison, where he was soon to be.

  Overall i really enjoyed the trip and it was a very good experience and I hope to see my film up their next year.

Film Poster Semiotics

James Bond: Quantum of Solace


The machine gun is a signifer, it connotes danger and death, it also signifies that the person holding it is a killer. The machine gun is big and ruthless, you would expect a trained person to use this, the gun itself connotes that their will be a lot of action in the film.


We can denote the presence of a silencer on the gun. This changes the meaning, it signifies stealth as you won't be heard when using it and it also shows he is an assassin.


The suit is a signifer, that he may have been at a formal event. It generally connotes formality and is smart, it also commands authority. The suit is also sharply put together but dust is starting to be pushed of the ground.

Final Cut Analysis

1. The first shot is a medium-close shot, this is to introduce the audience to the location and one of the characters. 
2. The second shot is a medium shot which goes from a low angle to a higher angle, but doesn't show parts of the face this adds tension.
3. The shot starts as a mid shot, but the camera is jerky and moves upwards and to the side. This could be to signify to the audience that this footage is supposed to be a homemade video.
4. The next shot is a medium-long shot showing a girl walking past with a bag, at a slightly low angle, it makes you intrigued and want to know whats inside of the bag.
5.Again it's a medium-close up of the girl pulling a bear out of the bag. They used this shotto show details of the bear.
6. There is a point of view shot and a moving shot showing 2 people leaving. 
7. A high Angled, Medium-Long shot showing a girl being dragged along the floor this makes it feel threatening. 
8. The next shot is an extreme close up with the camera moving up and down the girls body while she is holding the bear, it then zooms outwards, this makes it seem threatening.
9. There's another medium shot at a slightly high angle behind the 2 people, it then zooms in, this feels quite sinister.
10. Again there's a medium shot from a high angle showing the 2 people watching a film. This builds tension and makes it feel like something is going to happen.

Horror Poster Analysis

Insidious Poster

The first thing you notice about the poster is the boy's body, and more noticeably the face. This is due to dark clothing and dark hair as well as light going around head which attracts attention to him. The shot used is a medium-longshot this makes the boy looks threatening as it shows he is only young. As the image of the boy is quite large and dark this brings attention to the lighter part of his body which in this case is the eyes. This makes him look sinister as he is staring straight into you when you look at the poster.
 Around the title of the film it says "From the makers of Paranormal Activity and Saw" these are popular horror series which will attract a vast audience from fans of the previous films and from people who are new to horror films but know the films named.
 The background shows a house with a stormy sky which could mean the house is the main setting of the film. The sky and house give an eary effect and suggest that something has or is going to happen there.
 Below the title it says "It's not the house that's haunted" this makes you want to know what is haunted, automatically you would link it to the boy as he has a sinister look. This is placed in a small font which could create drama.
 At the bottom of the poster there is a list of actors name in the centre it says "IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE APRIL 1" this brings attention to itself as it is in a larger font and is in bold text. Below it also lists the films website which is used to advertise the film more.

Looking at a past students blog

I looked at Katie Mallow's blog.

• Used resources from other films of the same genre such as Clowns and similar cast.
• Changed the typical stereotypes for a horror film slightly, especially for the sub-genre of a 'slasher'. They're scream queen isn't a stereotype as she doesn't have blonde hair.
• They're age range for the film was aimed at 15-24, which is similar to the majority of slasher/horror films.
• Asked teenagers between the target age for feedback as they'd be the ones the film is aimed at.
• Related the casting to the film 'Freddie Vs Jason', the girls casted have similar characteristics to the ones in 'Freddie Vs Jason', Such as the final girl in 'Freddie Vs Jason' who is a typical Scream Queen
• Company Ident based on film. The film was based on a teenager with a secret. For the ident they made her walk towards the screen with a finger pressed against their mouth saying "shh".
• Since they had a low budget they went for an indie feel comparing themselves to 'Icon Films'.
• I Still Don't Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) Cost $24,000,000 and made $39,989008. This cost a lot more than the average British film, it also made almost double what it cost. 
• Even after making draft versions they still were researching to improve their film. They did this by watching films and watching clips on Youtube.
• Tormented a British film cost £700,000 to make and only made £284,757. Comparing this to an American Film it lost money.