Preliminary task questions

What planning did you do? How was this useful, and how did you change from your plans?

To plan for the preliminary task we first did a recce. This is when there is a pre visit to the location which we chose to shoot in. This was useful because we could decide on the location, making sure that it is appropriate for filming. We did a floor plan This meant we knew exactly where the actors were walking and it allowed us to decide whether we had enough room to film. We also did a rehearsal to double check this. We then drew a story board which allowed us to film quicker because we knew the order of shots and what shot type we needed for the particular scene. This made it easier when we were filming because we all knew what we doing. The rehearsal allowed us to make sure we knew exactly what we were saying and could practise. It meant that we didn't waste time whilst filming the final shots, it also allowed us to know where we were walking. After the rehearsal we changed the route we were going to take in the canteen because the tables and chairs made it awkward to get to the location the actors were going to sit at for the conversation.


What camera skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the cameras, and has this confidence changed during the project? Give details of specific camera skills/ techniques you have developed/ improved, and include areas where you lack confidence/ need to improve?

Through filming the preliminary task I have developed many new skills. I now know the basics of filming and how to use a camera, during the task I became more confident with using a camera. Although I didn't film any of the task because I was in it, I still used the camera before we filmed for the final scene. I think I could become even more confident if I had more experience using the camera to film. I now know techniques such as the 180 degree rule, through the preliminary task I know that when shooting a conversation the 180 degree rule happens so that the audience knows what character is speaking and when. Whilst filming we used tripods and dollies, before the preliminary task I didn't know what a dollie was, and I had never used a tripod before. I know what they are now and can set up the equipment safely so that filming was quick.


What editing skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the editing program? Give details of specific editing skills/ techniques you have developed/ improved, and include areas where you lack confidence/ need to improve?

Before the preliminary task I didn't know how to edit or how to use the editing program. I am now confident at most things on the editing programme. With a little more experiance I think I could gain more confidence with the editing program and be able to use it on my own to edit my thriller once I have filmed it.

Preliminary Task

Mood Board

Cinema City - State of independence

The best time of the year for cinemas overall is July/August (the school holidays). This is when the big Hollywood blockbusters are released. But this is not the best time of year for Cinema City. When does Cinema City get it's highest audiences and what factors effect this?

Cinema City gets its highest audience when they hold live events, broadcast via satellite including music, comedy, filmmaker Q&A's, red-carpet premieres and productions transmitted in high definition from the New York Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House. These events often get sold out screens and audiences quickly embrace the new concept of 'cinecasts'. 

What technological and cultural factors have affected cinema takings? Consider the 1950's, 1980's and late 2000's. What have cinemas done to respond to these technological and cultural factors?

In the 1950's there was the advent of the TV, people started to get televisions in their home. This meant that less people went out and watched things at cinemas, there takings decreased and they lost money. In the 1980's the multiple cinema was introduced and because a lot more money was going into these and they were showing new films from America they became more popular than the independent cinemas. Also, this was the time when video was introduced so people could buy tapes of films instead of going out and paying money to go and watch them once at the cinemas. In late 2000's Internet was introduced into homes which meant that more people downloaded films instead of buying them on video or going to see them at the cinemas. This saved people money, but meant that the takings of cinemas reduced. To respond to these technological and cultural factors cinemas have started showing films in 3D, at home we cannot get this which means it would make cinema more popular again and the takings increase. 

In 1945 the top 20 films accounted for 25% of the market.
In 2000 the top 20 films accounted for 50% of the market.
U.S films took a 20% share of the market in early 1970's.
In 1998 U.S films took a 63.3% share of the market.
What can we learn from these statistics?

From these statistics we learn that there is an increase of shares and that more U.S films are flooding the market. When the multiplex cinemas were built the rule that for every American film shown a British film is shown was dropped. This meant that American companies took over and they are now dominating our film industry.

Exhibition related leisure pursuits now = 14% of household spend.
Home - based ancillary (TV/video etc.) markets = 43% of household spend.
What can we learn from these statistics?

From these statistics we learn that most films are now viewed at home meaning that there is a decrease in cinema takings.

A cinema such as Cinema City used to get around 80% income from subsidies and 20% from ticket sales. How has this changed? Compare this to Vue/Odeon. How are cinemas funding new revenue streams?

These cinemas used to get the majority of their money from the government. This has now changed because the government is no longer giving subsidies therefore they have a lack of money, they only have the 20% they used to make from ticket sales. They are no longer making the amount of money that they need to make to buy new films to show etc. Unlike Cinema City, Vue cinemas are funded by the Bank Of Scotland meaning that along with the ticket sales they have another source of funding. Cinema City is now making extra money by putting on live events.

Cinema City underwent a significant refurbishment programme in and reopened in 2007. Why would Cinema City be unable to carry out these refurbishments if it was trying to do so today?

They wouldn't be able to carry out these refurbishments today if it was trying to do so because they are no longer getting subsidies therefore they would not be able to afford it. Also because it is a listed building so they would have to appeal for it to be refurbished.

Why did Cinema City install a 3D projector in 2010?

Cinema City installed a 3D projector because it will broaden the audience that they appeal to, it means that they can show a wider variety of films that are only available in 3D. More people are likely to go to Cinema City to watch a film in 3D than a Multiplex cinema because it is cheaper and not as busy than a multiplex.

What is a 'sleeper' film? How is Cinema City better positioned to adjust schedules for 'sleepers'?

A 'sleeper' film is a film that has a slow start with not a very big audience that gradually becomes more popular and eventually turns into a big film that is popular. Cinema City is better positioned to adjust schedules for sleepers because they can bring old films that have suddenly become more popular back unlike the multiplex cinemas.

Why wouldn't Cinema City show 'The Expendables' but they would show a Tarantino film?

'The Expendables' wouldn't attract the audience that Cinema City appeals to. A Tarantino films appeals to a different audience that 'The Expendables'. 

Why do Cinema City show Sex and the City/Mamma Mia? 

Cinema City show these films because the actors and actresses that play on these films are older and would appeal to the audience that Cinema City attracts. It appeals to a large group of women, aged 40+ and the films appeal to these women because of the people in them. 

How do Cinema City cater for minority/ niche audiences such as parents with children under one; students; local history enthusiasts; older audiences; parents with autistic children? 

Cinema City run clubs such as: Kid's club, parents and babies' screenings and senior citizens matinees. Also they run a Slackers Club which is set up by E4 for students. They also do screenings for parents with autistic children. 

What does Cinema City use its screens for other than showing films?

Cinema City also uses its screens for numerous live events, broadcast via satellite, including music, comedy, filmmaker Q&A's, red-carpet premieres and productions transmitted in high definition from the New York Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House.

Describe the audience of Cinema City.

Cinema City's audience is mainly women and men that are 40+. They cater for them because they bring back old films that these people will remember when they first came out. Also they do specific groups for them and they are comfy cinemas that their audience can enjoy.

Treatment

In the opening sequence of our thriller there is a girl sat in a dark dingy room with light coming from a laptop and a TV. There is a video camera plugged into the television and a video is playing. It is of a girl that the person who filmed it is stalking. There will be a variety of shots which will indicate to the audience what the girl sat in the dark room is doing and will create tension immediately portraying this girl as the evil character. To start with there will be a panning shot of the room gradually zooming in on a mid shot of the girls back and then an over the shoulder shot of the laptop. We will use a lot of close ups on the equipment that is around the room, including the camera and the laptop screen which will have the facebook of an innocent girl that the evil character is looking at. She is jealous and is finding out all that she can about her. The stalker girl is looking through the pictures and to start with there is eerie music playing in the background which suddenly stops and all you can hear is a mouse clicking. The camera then changes to a close up of the TV which has a camera plugged into it and on the screen is a girl in her garden picking up her rabbit; this is filmed from a bush. There is a flashback to when this was filmed. We see the girl picking the rabbit up and then hear a rustle in the bush. She suddenly turns around and there is a close up on her face, it then cuts to a close up of the bush. It then cuts back to the dark dingy room. To end our sequence the stalker will shut the laptop, walk over to the video camera, pick it up and turn and face the camera. The shot then switches to a close up of her face and she smiles.

In the room we are filming in there will only be light from the TV, laptop and maybe a small lamp. The room won't have anything in other than a laptop, TV, video camera, lamp and a seat that the girl is sitting on. There will be two characters in our sequence, the stalker and the girl being stalked. The first character that we see is the 'evil' one, we will show this by lots of weird behaviour, close ups of her and close ups of what she is doing. Our villain is a young woman who was abused by her parents and left on her own when she was young. Three years ago, when she was 15 she killed her parents because of what they did to her - she never got caught. She has grown to be a woman of no feelings and she is left mentally scarred by her past. She is ambiguous and seems that she would never harm a fly, but that is her external personality. Internally she is very childlike and doesn’t realize the extent of her actions when she harms or kills people. She doesn’t let anyone get close to her and all the people that once loved her are dead. She is a quiet person who doesn't socialize with the rest of the world; she sits in her dingy, dirty flat preying on her next victim. She wants to take someone else’s personality because she is tired of being her, lonely and disliked. We will represent her as isolated by showing the room being empty, this will connote how empty and lonely she is. Our other character is a girl who is also 18, her dad died in a car accident when she was 16 leaving her vulnerable as she has only her mother to protect her. Although her life is far from perfect she is a happy and pretty girl with a lot of friends. She is naive and childlike and doesn't realise that some people can be cruel. She is exactly what the stalker wants to be. We will represent her as childlike by dressing her in childlike clothes, barely any makeup and playing with her rabbit and talking to it. To represent her happiness, she will always be smiling and there will be lots of close ups of this. The narrative behind our opening sequence is to show that there is a girl who is lonely and sad who is stalking a girl who has completely the opposite personality. We see that she has been stalking her by the pictures she is saving onto her computer and the video she has of her following the girl.

The scene I have described links to the film Red Road in a way because at the start the women is clicking on all the different screens, watching everyone else in the city. Instead of watching everyone, our stalker is only watching one girl, but she is still clicking on the different screens, watching what she is doing. The film we are going to make will be an independent film because it is not the typical thriller including blood and gore and it is also not going to have any money being spent on it. We are showing the crime that can actually happen and how girls using websites to talk to people can actually get them in a lot of trouble and can get them in all sorts of problems and puts their lives at risk. Our thriller will include many conventions that a thriller film contains such as, ambiguous characters, strong key lighting from the laptop and lamp, shadows of the stalker on the wall and close ups and panning shots of the room. The opening scene will appeal to our audience because it will have young people in so that they can relate to our audience. Also the storyline will appeal to young people because they are using facebook everyday and some people may be in the same situation as these girls.

Thriller Openings

Film	Average shot length	Number of shots	Use of titles
Taxi Driver dir. Martin Scorsese (1976)	4-20 seconds	9	Blood red on a black background.
Nikita dir. Luc Besson (1990)	5 Seconds	20	Blood red on a black background
Leon dir. Luc Besson (1994)	2 – 14 seconds	28	White on a black background.
Momento dir. Christopher Nolan	1-2 seconds	17
London To Brighton dir. Paul Andrew Williams (2006)	2-3 seconds	31	White on a black background. Shows the time.
Red Road dir. Andrea Arnold (2006)	1-10 seconds	32	Blue and white on a black background

Comparing Warp and Working Titles

Warp Films
Warp Films, a sister company of Warp Records, was set up in 1999 with funding of £150 K from NESTA. It is based in Sheffield, England with a further office in London and has 14 full-time staff. This shows the true size of Warp Films, an extremely small film producing compamy. Warp films show the true society how it really is without making it seem all lovely and like nothing bad in society happens, they think it is important to raise the profile of British film making worldwide.  Their aims are to be cutting edge, innovative, interesting and independant. They don't want to have carbon copy, Hollywood blockbuster films. They create pioneering British cinema, short films and music videos. In April 2008, Australian film distributor Madman Entertainment announced a collaboration with Warp Films. Warp and Madman plan to make at least 2 films together over the next 3 years. Warp films budget to spend on a film is £1,000,000 unlike the major film companys who spend much much more on a film. This means that they are lacking in special effects etc, yet with the little budget, Warp films still make good films with the materials they do have. Warp Films are funded by British companies such as the national lottery, film 4 and the UK film council.

Some films made by Warp Films are as followed:  
This is England 86'
Four Lions
Bunny and the bull
All Tomorrows parties
Hush
Exhibit A

Working Title
Working Title films is a British film production company based in London UK.The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. It produces feature films and several television productions. Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan are now the co-owners of the company. Although it is British, it is partly funded by Universal films, an American film production company. Working Title films are allowed to produce any film with a budget of up to £25 million. This means that they can make films with much more special effects, the films they make are more action based and their demographic is teenage boys who like action and little dialogue.

Some films made by Working Title Films include:     
Atonement
Nanny Mcphee
Nanny Mcphee and the big bang
Burn after reading
Hot Fuzz
Johnny English
etc.

There are alot more films made by Working Titles as it is a main stream where as Warp Films is independant therefore it hasn't got the funding to make lots of films.


Comparing films from each producing companies
Working titles made the film Atonement, it cost about £30 million to make and has well known actors, Keira Knightly and James McAvoy in. In comparison to Working titles, Warp made the film This is England 86', it cost around £1.5 million to make and has unkown actors in. Atonement made $130 million worldwide, and in USA alone it made $50 million. Even though it is a UK film, it only made half of what it made in USA in England. This is because Working Titles is funded by American film companies. Unlike Atonement, This is England 86' made $8 million worldwide and in USA alone it only made $0.3 million, where as in the UK it made $3.1 million. Atonement was shown in 1335 cinemas in the UK and even though it was made by a British film producing company, it was only showed in 424 cinemas in the UK which is a big difference to how many it was shown in in the USA. Unlike Atonement, This is England 86' was shown in only 14 cinemas in USA which is a big difference to the 151 cinemas it was shown in in the UK. The genre of films made by the two film producing companies are very different. Whilst Working titles make films that are literary adaptions about love and romance, Warp films make dramas about the British society, racism and single parent families which are true events that happens worldwide.

Thriller Character

The villain is a young woman who was abused by her parents and left on her own when she was young. When she was 15 she got her revenge. She has grown to be a woman of no feelings and she is left mentally scarred by her past. She is ambiguous and seems that she would never harm a fly, but that is her external personality. Internally she is very childlike and doesn’t realize the extent of her actions when she harms or kills people. She doesn’t let anyone get close to her and all the people that once loved her are dead. She is a quiet person who doesn't socialise with the rest of the world, she sits in her dingy, dirty flat preying on her next victim. She wants a friend and wants to take someone elses personality because she is tired of being her, lonely and disliked.

Shooting techniques

There are many ways in which you can shoot a conversation. This includes the 180 degree rule, this is where the cameras are shooting from one side of a line. This is good because the audience don't get confused about who is sat or stood where and who the person is talking at the time. Another shot used whilst shooting a conversation is the over the shoulder shot. This is where we see over the shoulder of the person being spoke to looking at the person speaking. This gives the effect that we are involved in the conversation making it engage the audience more. Other shots used when shooting a conversation consist of Wide, close up and extreme close up which seem as though the person speaking is actually speaking to the audience making them engage into the conversation more. All these are ways of shooting conversations and there are more such as a cutaway, eyeline match, noddy, two shot and action match/ match on action. These make the conversation effective and engage the audience making the conversations through the films more interesting and less boring.

When shooting someone walking there is usually a variety of shot types and a variety of shot angles. The most common shot to use when filming someone walking is an extreme close up of their feet. This builds tension as we want to know who the feet belong to and where they are walking to. The pace of the persons walking and also the times they place their feet on the floor are often edited to be in sync with music if there is some. The camera speed matches the speed at which the person is walking making it seem as though the audience is either following them or infront of them.

The variety of shot types used in both these everyday things in films makes it a lot more interesting to watch and engages the audience more instead of if it was just one shot all the time.

How does Hitchcock use binary opposites to create suspense in Psycho?

In the thriller 'Psycho' Alfred Hitchcock uses binary oppositions to create suspense. The film starts with a binary opposite - wide open spaces versus claustrophobic confined spaces. There is a wide aerial shot of Phoenix, Arizona and then there is a crane shot which moves in through Venetian blinds into a small, dark, confined hotel room. When there is a wide panning shot of the city it gives the feeling of freedom but as soon as the shot changes it makes the audience feel trapped and claustrophobic in a room that is barely the size of a cupboard. It creates suspense because whilst we know the rest of the city is going along with their everyday business, there are people such as Marion and Sam who are doing things that we know they shouldn't be doing. Tension is caused because we know that something is bound to happen to one of them because of the feeling of being trapped.

In Psycho another binary opposite is wedded bliss versus extramarital misery. Marion wants security and a respectable marriage to Sam instead of what she has now and she is unhappy with the situation that her and Sam are in. Unfortunately because Sam is still married he can't have any of that and the couple in love have to sneak around behind peoples backs and it's not what she wants to do anymore. This creates suspense because they talk about needing money for the divorce and so that they can have a life together and then ironically when Marion gets back to her office there is a man with £40,000 cash and Marion has the opportunity to take it and we are made to question whether she takes it for the right reasons but it is obvious she still in the wrong. The audience feel tense because they want to know whether she gets caught and what will happen.  

The next obvious binary opposite that we see is Marion's underwear. Before the money was stolen she was wearing white underwear, this connotes the innocence and purity she has. Although what she is doing with Sam is wrong she knows that and wants to have dinner with him and her sister, with a photo of her mum on the mantle piece so that they are no longer doing wrong. This all changes after she takes the money, her underwear is now black and as she looks longingly at the money she knows she is wrong to take it but doesn't care. The black underwear connotes the wrong she is doing and that she has gone over to the dark side by committing this crime. There is two binary opposites within this because although there is the obvious one of black underwear versus white underwear, there is also good versus evil. This creates suspense because we want to know whether she ever gets caught or whether she lives happily ever after. The genre of the film makes it a little more obvious that she will get caught, but it creates suspense because we want to know who by and what could happen to her in the meantime.

A well known binary opposite in Psycho is the predator versus its prey. When Marion pulls up at Bates motel she is greeted by Norman, the owner of the motel and by what the audience can see he is also the carer for his mother. To Marion he just seems like a very normal man, but from what the audience watches they can tell that Norman is stalking Marion when we see him watch her getting changed for a shower, just before the very famous shower scene. It builds suspense because the audience don't know if he is planning to kill her for his prey or if he is just simply watching her - we want to know what he has planned for her fate! Also it builds tension because the audience can see that if Marion was in danger, she would be helpless because she is on her own in the middle of nowhere without anyone she knows.

Norman Bates is a binary opposite in himself, his internal personality versus his external personality. On the outside he seems like a very charming man who wants to help a woman who has been travelling a long way and is hungry and tired. But juxtaposed with this on the inside he is evil, it is as though he is stalking his prey ready to kill which is what he does in the very famous shower scene. Norman has dual personalities. He was abused by his mother and never got on with her, but once she had died he couldn't bare to be alone so one of is his personalities is the real Norman Bates and the other is that of his mother. This create suspense because to start with we think that Norman is a very nice character and we feel sorry for him because of the way his 'mother' shouts at him when he hasn't done anything wrong but really it isn't his mother at all. We think throughout the film that it is his mother who is the murderer and he is trying to protect her, but it is him all along and this creates tension because when we find out that it is him who is the murder Marion's sister and Sam are with Norman.

All these binary opposites fill Psycho with suspense and leave the audience on the edge of their seats.

Marketing Films

This is the trailer for paranormal activity 2 being show at the multiplex cinemas. The film comes out on Friday the 22nd October and is an American film. The target audience of this film is both genders between the ages of 15 - 19 because it is a 15 rating so people under the age of 15 cannot see it and I think that people over the age of 19 would find the story line unbelievable and silly. This film would appeal to me because I like the genre horror/thriller and because I have seen the first film I am interested in watching the second film. The trailer does justice for the film because it is scary, which means that the film is most likely to be scary as well. People who like this genre of film will go and watch it. The trailer could put some people off because they could think that all of the good parts of the film are shown in the trailer therefore it would be pointless going to see the film. Also people who didn't like the first film are not necessarily going to be convinced by the trailer. The trailer is shown from a video camera and this could make people more interested in seeing the film because it could be as if they are shooting it from behind the camera watching everything that is happening first hand. The sounds in the trailer make the film seem every more scary because it builds tension and the cuts in the trailer to the  next scene are accompanied with a camera sound which shows that this could have happened in real life making the film seem even scarier and people wanting to watch it more.



This is the trailer for the film Despicable me that was released on the , also being shown at multiplex cinemas. The target audience for this film is the younger audience aged around 7 - 11 that are males. This is because of the action element in the film and it is not the sort of thing that most younger girls would like to see. I think that the trailer would put me off watching the film because I am not interested in the genre animation. The trailer is appealing to the audience it is targeting because it has elements in that younger children will find funny but as an older audience I wouldn't find as amusing as I would have been as a young child. Although when I saw the trailer I was interested in the film so I looked it up and read more about it. I think that the storyline of the film doesn't appeal to me because I am not interested in animation crime films where someone is planning to do something out of the ordinary that is a complete fantasy. The music in the trailer is upbeat which would appeal to the audience that it is targeting because it doesn't get boring.

Cosmetic Advert

This is the cosmetic advert that I have created.

The target audience for my advert are glamorous, seductive, sexy women that are between the ages of 25 - 35 when women mainly appear to be confident and glamorous. They are most likely to be feminine and elegant. I chose to advertise a perfume because it connotes glamour and flirtatiousness. It naturally stands out and I thought that this suited the target audience that I wanted for my perfume. The advert appeals to the audience by connoting dominance, success and seductiveness. I chose to have the whole of the women in my advert because it shows that the women is dominant in the advert and that she is glamorous and the women herself demonstrates the connotations that I also want the perfume to have. The dominant gaze on the face attracts the audiences and the face connotes strength and the flirtatious side of women. This appeals to the audiences ambitions to be independent and dominant females who can take control over their lives. They want to be like the women in the advert. The way the model is sitting connotes the seductive side of females and that they can be dominant over men. This appeals to the audiences ambitions because they strive to be sexy, confident and attractive to males, yet still have control. The model in the advert is wearing a very elegant dress; this connotes the sophistication and femininity of the perfume itself. These can all be linked to the ambitions of the appealing audience. The advert uses very dark colours apart from around the name of the perfume, this is so that the name of the perfume stands out, and also connotes the dangerous, sexy side of women that I want the perfume to connotes. The darkness also symbolises power and the purple of the bottle symbolises love and seduction. This is juxtaposed by the light of the moon and the border of the name which symbolised innocence. I chose to call my perfume midnight because I thought it related to the connotations of the perfume and that people tend to be more glamorous and elegant when they go out at night. Also this is when they need a confidence boost and a spray of the perfume 'Midnight' is just what they need. I chose the font because it was black with stars on, this symbolises the elegance and confident product that it is. The theory of the male gaze links to my advert because when men look at this advert they will 'see a relationship between the image and them'. When men see women in an image like this they often admire them and see them as an object of his desire in his domain. Women would like to be admired and desired therefore would like to be like the model in the advert.

Technologies played a big part in helping me in the process of constructing my advert. I used a digital camera to get the pictures I needed. I took more than one of each of the pictures so that I could choose the one that I wanted to use for my final advert. Also so I had the right lighting for the advert that I needed. I found the digital camera easy to use because I have used one before, this was good because I was able to take good pictures for my advert. I edited my advert on photoshop and considering that I had never used it before I think I picked it up quite well. I think that if I had more experience my advert would have been a lot better. Photoshop enabled me to put all the components of my advert together and make it as one. In photoshop I used a range of tools which allowed me to cut out the picture of the model. I used the magic wand which cut out all of the colours that I didn't want, this meant I could keep mainly all the darker colours which made the advert appear sexy. I used the lasoo tool which let me have a clean cut around the whole body. This meant that it looked like it fitted in my advert and didn't have any parts that I didn't want in it. On my perfume bottle I used the same tools, but I also used the smudge tool. This meant that I had a clean cut around the bottle and didn't look like I had cut it out, it looks like it is supposed to be there and it is a real advert. I used the website 'dafont.com' to get an appropriate font for the title of my perfume so that it relates to the product. I found this website quite easy to use even though I had never used it before. Technologies such as these are empowering amatuers to produce semi professional media products in a way that couldn't be done before. Amatuers are interested in how it is done and then they have a go at it themselves, realising that it is possible for ordinary people to become media producers. These technologies are letting the audience become the producer because they are able to produce their own advert using technologies such as photoshop. The audience has realised that you don't have to be a genius to create adverts such as these and they can do it themselves. They have more power than the media producer.

My advert represents women as glamorous and dominant, even though my advert is aimed at women between the ages of 25 - 35, women at any age can be like this. They are confident in themselves and find that they are seductive and sexy and that they can take control over men even when it is usually known as men being the ones in control. It shows that women can be who they want to be and don't have to stick to the stereotypical label that they hold. If a feminist was looking at my advert then they would say that the man would be the more dominant one and that the women is looking weak. This is because is the 'male gaze' theory when they see an image of a women like this they see the relationship between the image and themselves and see her as a creature of his domain and that they are under his gaze possession. I disagree with this because I think that the women is more dominant as she is laying because it shows exactly what she wants and men are weakened by her gaze.

Audience survey

Remote audience research: how many social network friends or e-community consume films?
The age group I did my survey on was 16 - 18, they were both genders and they were all students.

How often do you go to the cinema?
Participant 1 - One or two times a month
Participant 2 - Once a month
Participant 3 - One or two times a month
Participant 4 - Couple of times a year
Participant 5 - Once every two months
Participant 6 - Once a month

Which is your favourite cinema? why?
Participant 1 - My favourite cinema is Vue because it is cheap and easy to get to.
Participant 2 - My favourite cinema is Odeon because although it costs more, it is easier to get tickets and it is a lot more comfortable than Vue.
Participant 3 - I don't have a favourite cinema, I just go to the cinema that is showing the film that I want to see at a time that is appropriate for me.
Participant 4 - My favourite cinema is Vue because it is in the city so it is easy to get to. It is cheaper than Odeon so it is better for me as I am only a student and can't really afford it.
Participant 5 - My favourite cinema is Odeon because it isn't extremely busy during the day which is when I go to the cinema, it is also a lot more comfortable than Vue.
Participant 6 - I don't have a favourite cinema, I go to the ones my friends choose to go to.

How do you hear about films? trailers, word of mouth, magazines, newspapers, radio?

Participant 1 - I mostly hear about films from trailers that I see on the tv. Also if my friends have seen a film that is good then I am more likeyly to go and see the film or watch the trailer to see if that interests me.
Participant 2- The way I hear about films is mainly through my friends.
Participant 3 - I watch trailers of films and if I like them then I go and watch them.
Participant 4 - I hear about films from reading reviews of them. If they sound good then I watch the trailer on youtube.
Participant 5 - I usually hear about films in magazines and advertisements.
Participant 6 - I hear about films through friends, trailers and I also read reviews in magazines.

What's the last film you've seen?

Participant 1 - The last film I saw was Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Participant 2- The last film I saw was Inception
Participant 3 - The last film I saw was The Notebook
Participant 4 - The last film I saw was The Last Exorcism
Participant 5 - The last film I saw was Grown Ups
Participant 6 - The last film I saw was A Walk To Remember

What is your favourite genre?
Participant 1 - Comedy
Participant 2 - Thriller
Participant 3 - Romantic comedy
Participant 4 - Horror
Participant 5 - Comedy
Participant 6 - Romance

How do you like to consume films?
Participant 1 - I like the ambiance of seeing a film at the cinema. Also the screen is so much bigger and the sound is a lot better.
Participant 2- I like to watch films at the cinema because you can go with a group of friends and then discuss the film afterwards.
Participant 3 - I prefer to watch films either at the cinema or at home.
Participant 4 - I prefer to watch films at home on my television because there is nobody to disturb the film.
Participant 5 - I prefer to watch films at the cinema because it has new films that you haven't seen before
Participant 6 - I like to watch films at home because you can watch it for free, there is no one to disturb you and the food and drink is free.

Identify a British film or tv drama that you have seen recently

Participant 1 - The last film I saw that was British was Green Street
Participant 2 - The last tv drama that I saw was This Is England
Participant 3 - A British film that I saw recently was Harry Potter And The Half - Blood Prince
Participant 4 -  The last British film that I saw was 28 Days Later.
Participant 5 -  A British tv drama that I always watch is Skins
Participant 6 - The last British film I saw was Atonement.





Why do film directors consider cinema as the best place to view their films?
Film directors consider the cinema is the best place to view films because you get the full experience of the film. The picture is amazing and the surround sound really makes you feel as if you are in the film.

How does 'The Third Man' use film noir conventions?

Film Noir was discovered by French film critics who noticed the trend of how 'dark', downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many American  thrillers following the war, such as  The Maltese Falcon. It is a term to describe the 'bleak' American films produced after the war.  A wide range of the films reflected the tension, bleakness and insecurities of the time period or post war. Bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and isolation are evident in the film noir thrillers, reflecting the war period. The criminal, violent or greedy perspectives of anti-heroes in film noir were a metaphors of society's evils, with a strong undercurrent of moral conflict, purposelessness and sense of injustice. There were rarely happy or optimistic endings in noirs.

'The Third Man' is a very good example of the film noir conventions. The lighting and sound, mise en scene, shots and angles, the characters and the corruption of the city all represent the tension and isolation that the city of Vienna has post war. The montage at the start of the film reflects the mood of bleakness, fear and destruction that has happened throughout the war. The image to the left is from the montage and it shows the distruction of the city.The cobblestone street setting which is constantly wet and the lighting shines on them and the British officers seeking to create law and order in a city which is divided where the British Americans and Russians are in charge which contrasts with the characters and the underworld that is below the city are all features of film noir. The setting of the film usually has either bombed out buildings and a lot of rubble around, it shows the corruption of the city and symbolises right from wrong. The same as the world on the surface of Vienna where Holly is contrasting with the underworld underneath the surface were Harry is.

When Holly Martins is running away from the police he runs up a spiral staircase. This convention is used in alot of films that use film noir such as 'M' by Fritz Lang. This is because it creates a distance for the chase and makes the audience feel disorientated and it also creates mystery.  Aswell as the spiral staircase causing disorientation, the sewers in the big chase at the end also do. It is such a complex structure with barely any light and so many exits and entrances that it causes confusion as to what way to go. The sewers also shows the other side of the city, it contrasts to what people can see. There islolation in the sewers and for Harry Lime, also known as a rat, there is no escape. The water down there can infect the whole city, so Harry being down there and using it as a way of getting around, is infecting the good side of the city and it symbolises the corruption.

The lighting used in 'The Third Man' creates a lot of tension, especially when Harry Lime is revealed for the first time. It is night time so there is complete darkness, the only light source is from a street lamp, and all you can see from that is a cat. Holly Martins starts shouting at someone he thinks is following him when suddenly a women opens a window. This reveals Harry because there is strong key lighting shining straight onto his face. The lighting highlights the shadows on the walls which creates tension as we know something is always coming, especially when Holly is waiting for Harry to arrive at the cafe and the way we are expecting Harry to arrive comes a shadow of a man. This leads the audience to believe it is Harry but instead it is a man selling balloons who blows Calloways cover. Throughout the film there is barely any natural light which creates mystery and also shows the despair of the city after the war because of the darkness.

The characters in 'The Third Man' face a moral conflict, involved in crime and they have an ambiguous side to their character. Harry Lime is like a rat infecting the whole city with his medicine that made people ill and we know all this because of the evidence that Calloway shows Holly. Although Holly and Harry are best friends and have been for a long while, Holly feels that morally he has to do right and the only way he can do that is by turning him into the police. All these evidence shows that there is no escape for Harry and at some point he is bound to get caught. The signs of no escape such as the evidence and Harrys fingers through the grills in the drain when he is trying to get out of the sewers link to the Film Noir convention of there never being a happy ending because even if Harry is caught or killed then his love or best friend will not be happy.

A convention of film noir that is in 'The Third Man' but slightly different is the use of the femme fatale. The femme fatale is a women who presents ambiguity in their character, they are usually always attractive which mans they lead the men to act against their better judgement and they are usually deceptive. They represent a threat and are often seem as much a victim as they are a villan. In 'The Third Man' Anna is the femme fatale, she is beautiful, Holly falls in love with her and she has moral ambiguity. Anna challenges the values of right and wrong. After what she has learnt about Harry she 'feels sorry for Harry' and instead of them hunting him down she wishes 'he were dead'. With the corruption of the city, Anna is seen as a victim feeling uncertain about her life saying 'I don't know anything anymore'. She is adrift and only has Holly Martins to protect her against the corruption that is happening, she rejects help from anyone and she is admired by Calloway for her bravery.

Overall 'The third man' is a good demonstration of the conventions of film noir which brings us a fantastic thriller with all the elements needed to build suspense and tension.

Analysis of Identity

The opening scene opens with a voice over over black starting before a picture is shown. This creates suspense for the audience. This then cuts to a close up of the psychiatrist. The voice is of a man, Malcolm Rivers, who the psychiatrist if listening to on an examination tape. Whilst the tape is playing there are quick jump cuts to each piece of evidence, files of the murder case and old newspaper clippings revealing that there was a young boy abandoned at a hotel by his prostitute mother and how Rivers was caught, trialed and sentenced to execution. There is a sound effect of the tape being rewound whilst the pictures also change. In this scene there is a mid shot of the psychiatrist looking extremely confused by the case. Over the opening scene there is a voice over of Malcolm Rivers being questioned, throughout the interview Malcolm Rivers talks in an extremely childlike way. This gives the impression that he never had the stabilization of a childhood so he doesn't know what it is like to be an adult.


To break the interview it suddenly cuts to a phone ringing and a man who is asleep, the voice on the phone sounds very nervous and informs the man asleep and the audience that Malcolm Rivers has been let out for a re hearing the night before his execution. This makes the audience extremely nervous and the audience know that something is bound to happen which includes Malcolm Rivers. It cuts from a close up of the man asleep to a wide shot of the other man walking down a corridor.


It then cuts to an interior roadside motel and there is a lot of rain. This is pathetic fallacy, the bad weather creates the tension for the audience because usually when there is heavy rain etc. then something bad is going to happen. The manager is drinking a lot of alcohol and he is shouting at a version of countdown when a car pulls up and crashes into the motel. A man comes running in, dripping wet, carrying a women who is bleeding. This causes the audience to panic because they automatically think that Malcolm Rivers has got something to do with it.