Planning- Pitch Feedback (Maisie walker, Georgia Skipper)

(Georgia Skipper)
Sir believed that our film being rated 15 was not acceptable for our content, however we feel that the way we described it made it more explicit, for this reason we decided to show less gore and horror and more of the after mass of the attack.

(Maisie Walker)
If we made the certificate of our film an 18 then it would decrease the size of our target audience range which would not be ideal for our film.The audience to which we showed our pitch was questioning how we will make the cuts and injuries of the attack real as they feel it will be hard to make them look realistic and it was stated that if they do not look real enough then understanding of the opening would be lost. We feel that using Georgia's talent of makeup we will use this to our advantage and make it look as real and understanding as possible.

Research into names of films(Georgia Skipper)

research into names of films

I used IMDb to research the top 20 thriller films to research into their titles.
The thriller voted number 1 was The Zohar Secret  the list to top 20 is as follows:

2.Pulp Fiction
3.1
4.Drishyam
5.Na Maloom Afrad
6.The Phantom of The Opera
7.Inception
8.Waar
9.Eskiya
10.Haider
11. The Unusual Suspects
12.The Ornate Look
13.Se7en
14.Jigarthanda
15. The Silence of The Lambs
16. Leon
17.Sholay
18.021
19.The Blue Elephant
20. A Wednesday
looking at these titles ive come to the conclusion that each name is very subtle and does not give much away about the film, however most of them focus on a key element on something that is in the film, be it part of the narrative or an object that is key within the film. This list however shows worldwide top voted thrillers, therefore I decided to look into the top thrillers of the United States and the United Kingdom. From these I saw that the top thrillers were named by: key object, analogy of the narrative, summary of a character or an adjective/noun to summarise the film.

For this reason we have decided on a few names which fit our films and we will proceed to ask our target audience which they best prefer and would like to see us use.

The names we decided on are as follows:
Mental State
State of Mind
The Girl who Cried
Subjection
Fluctuation
The truth behind the smile
Broke


After receiving audience feedback we were left with the two names 'The Girl Who Cried' and 'Subjection' therefore after a group discussion we decided to name our film 'Subjection' this was because we felt that subjection has no certainty and allows the auto to perceive the title differently. we asked 10 people if they discuss films before going to view them 8 out of the 10 said yes, therefore we believe discussion of our film by the title will cause a larger audience due to the fact that we believe many people will perceive our film differently and want to watch it to find out what it is in fact about. We also thought that 'Subjection' was a name well fitted for our film as it acts as an analogy for the way our main character feels, she is a subject of her own mind, cemented in memories and lost in the depression, fear and anxiety of her mind

Research Into Distributors (Maisie Walker)

Pulp Fiction

Miramax Films distributed Pulp Fiction in the USA however Buena Vista International distributed the particular film in the UK. These are very well known companies in which are known throughout countries all over the world. This would encourage audience's to watch the film because they know the companies and they are able to distinguish whether the film is going to be well made or not. Miramax is also a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. This means that it is part of a major studio. 
Miramax is well known for distributing Independent and foreign films. This particular company was sold by Disney to Filmyard Holdings after 17 years of involvement with the studio.

Shutter Island

Paramount Pictures distributed Shutter Island in the USA which was the theatrical version, in addition, Warner Home Video distributed the Blu ray and the video also in the USA. Paramount Pictures also distributed Shutter Island in the UK. This is another well known distributor for films and are known to distribute many films that have been successful. Paramount Pictures is a major studio for distribution, the percentage of shares that Paramount have within the USA and Canada is 8.94% which doesn't seem very high however, there are many film companies all over the world.

I Spit On Your Grave
Anchor Bay Films have distributed this film in the USA, this isn't really a well known film distribution company. This film wasn't distributed in the UK therefore it wasn't as well known as other films that were distributed over the world. Taking this into account, the distributor wasn't well known either. 

Inception
Warner bros was the distributor for the film Inception, this is a well known company which many audience members are aware of. This film was distributed in the form of the Theatrical version. Additionally, the home box office distributed this film on TV in the USA. In addition, Warner Bros also distributed Inception in the UK, this was in the form of a DVD, Blu Ray DVD and Theatrical version. Warner bros is the top distributor with a percentage of 17.1 in market shares in the USA and Canada.

World War Z
Paramount Pictures was the distributor for World War Z in the USA, they distributed the theatrical version. In addition, Paramount Home Entertainment was the distributor in the UK, they distributed the DVD and the Blu-Ray editions. As said already, Paramount Pictures is a very well established company that works with many films all over the world.

The Babadook

In the USA the Babadook was distributed through two companies, IFC Films and IFC Midnight. Both of these companies distributed the theatrical version. In addition, the UK Distributor was Icon Film Distribution. Because it is a very recent 2014 film no other releases of media have been distributed yet. IFC Films distributes independent films and documentaries and was founded in 1999. This is quite a recent distribution company which we have never heard of before.

Nine Frame Analysis (Georgia Skipper)

In the first screen shot they show the 20^th Century Fox logo to show the producers and the company which created it, it allows the audience to know the creators and make a judgement based on the name and their persona views from other films from the same company. We will be using our own logo for ‘CrazyFace productions” for the same reason, we feel it makes the credits titles look professional and real.

The second credit shows one of the smaller companies that creates films, it shows which subsection the film was created by and acts as a kind of aid for what the film is going to be like. We will not be using this in our film as we fear it might take up to much of our time and we will not be able to use much of our own filming.

 

 

  The first credit too show is the name of the star, Liam Neeson, this is as it is his most iconic role and has his own fandom, when Liam Neesons name appears, people automatically think of taken, so by having is name before any other title, shows how the company want to show Neeson as the main star and as the importance of the film. The white name on a black background display simplicity which contrasts to the film, however, alternatively shows the lack of knowledge Neeson has within the film. We will be using the simplistic colours as we feel it makes the audience feel vulnerable through their lack of understanding of what the film is about, however we do not want to make the main actor the importance of the film, therefore we will not be using their name first.

The title of the film is written in the same font and colour at the same size, giving it no more importance than the rest of the credits, however due to its placement we know it’s important. In addition to this, I feel they decided to use fluency within their credits to imitate the fluency of Neesons actions.

During the title sequence there begins to be very quick and blurred scenes of suspicious looking activities which give the audience an idea about what they are about to watch, the use of drained colour and the use of sepia add a slight twist on the act, creating a feel of distortion, this displays to the audience that the goings on we are witnessing are criminal. We will be using the quick scenes and drained colour as we feel it creates the atmosphere we need and shows that it is either a dream/flashback/criminal and in terms for our films is all three, we feel the quick scenes interrupted by credits make the audience feel uneasy as they are only seeing parts of the crime, leaving them unaware of the characters safety and/or anything else.

 The short scenes we are shown do not give anything away, apart from location and time, this makes it unclear to the audience and makes them feel uncomfortable. We will be using this to ensure that we don’t give away our whole film in the two minute opening. We want our opening to show conflict without showing who, what and why, we want it to be unclear of what has happened and to slightly confuse the audience making them want to watch out whole film.

   The interruption from credits, breaks the audiences concentration and focus, this may cause the audience frustration as they may have been intrigued and been trying to work out the relevance of what they were being shown, we will also be using interrupting titles as we believe it breaks the tensions, giving us a chance to eject a variety of emotions into the audience.

 

The titles re-lapse into the black and white simplicity, expressing the secrecy of the action within this film. The use of simple colours and fonts within our title sequence will be fluent.

The use of using this display shot is to display conflict, they use framing within a frame, this is where the two characters highlight the dangerous weaponry between them as they are both shown in dark colours and the light background contrast to the dark metallic gun framed within the two darker silhouette, this expressed danger and conflict, we will be using the display shots to show violence, however we will not be displaying weapons.

Definitely Maybe Analysis (Maisie Walker)

Title Analysis
00:02-00:20 - Universal (this is where the logo is shown at the beginning)
00:20 – 00:30 - working title (Another logo represents who has been associated with the film)
00:35 – 00:37 - universal pictures presents (Shows who has made the film, reiterates the fact that Universal are in association with the film)
00:47 – 00:38 - In association with studiocanal (Also showing who is associated with the film)

00:59 – 01:01 – a working title production

01:40 – 01:45 – "an Adam Brooks film"

01:47 – 01:53 – “definitely, maybe” This is the title of the film which is shown for 6 seconds, which is a long time considering there is things going on in the background

01:54 – 01:57 -The name “Ryan Reynolds” is said at this point, it is only for 3 seconds, this is long enough for the audience to see who is acting in the film however, not too long.
01:58 – 02:00 - The name “Isla Fisher” is also used to show who is acting in the film

Shot Analysis
00:40-00:45 - This is where are close up of an envelope is shown at the beginning, this is effective because the audience are able to see the names and what is on the envelope. Showing the names already gives the audience an indication on who the main character is.
00:42-00:45-This is a medium shot of Ryan Reynolds (main character) which then moves into an establishing shot of his office. This is evidence of his job/what he does for a living therefore the audience is able to grasp how successful he is.
00:47-00:54-another close up of the envelope shows that the envelope is important and that it is important to the character. The camera then tilts up to show the reaction of the character towards the envelope.
00:55-00:59 -a point of view shot is used to indicate what the character is looking at. The camera then zooms in to make the documents clearer for the audience to see. This also indicates that the documents are important and a big part of the film.
01:01-01:02- a medium shot of the main character is used again to give the audience an idea of how he is reacting to reading the letter. The audience can do this by examining the actors body language.
01:02-01:06 – There is then a medium shot of  the main characters secretary congratulating him on his progress in his job. This is an effective shot as it shows some of her body language. This also suggests a contrast as she is in a very good mood and the main character is the complete opposite.
01:06-01:08 –A close up of Ryan Reynolds is used to portray his feelings towards the good news. This is ironic as he gives a small smile which suggests that, even though he is unhappy about his divorce papers and his job, getting that small bit of good news within the day makes him feel better.
01:09-01:17 -This then carries on back to a medium shot of the main actor in his office
01:18-01:21 - A wide shot is now used to show him getting ready to pick up his child from school. This is effective because it portrays to the audience that he is happy at this point because (as said previously) this is his favourite day as he gets to see his child.
01:21-01:25 -an exterior shot is used to show that he is moving from inside to the busy New York streets. A slight pan is then executed to follow him down the street. This is effective as it feels as if the audience are accompanying him on his journey.
01:26-01:30 -An over the shoulder shot is then used to show the main character putting in his headphones. This also indicates an essence of accompanying him on his journey, as if the audience are actually walking with him. The camera then arcs from one shoulder to another to portray that both of his headphones are in his ears. This shows that he is shutting the world out to listen to music that makes his day that little bit better.
01:30-01:33 –a hand held camera shot is used to show the actor walking down the street. In addition, it is also a reverse angle shot and a close up shot of the actor. This gets all of the people behind the actor in the camera, this is effective as it signifies that he is ignoring the loud busy aspect of the New York streets and blocking out what can make him unhappy.
01:33-01:34 –A close up of his MP3 player is shown to indicate to the audience what song he is about to pick, as he picks the wrong song it brings out the comedy in the film. It also signifies what music he listens to. Due to the fact that he seems like quite a quiet, calm person, the audience wouldn't expect the music that comes on.
01:34-01:39-Next as shot reverse shot from the MP3 player to the actor and back Is used to indicate that the actor has picked the wrong song and it also shows his reaction to the fact that he has picked the wrong song. This increases the humour and shows that he is quite a clumsy person.
01:39-02:00-Now there is slow motion and split screens to indicate the way he is walking, his surroundings and a place for the titles and credits to be put. The surroundings being shown is a good way to indicate the place that the character lives and that he is used to the busy, loud aspect of the streets.

Sound analysis
00:33-the office sounds are in the background when Ryan Reynolds is working in his office. These diegectic sounds consist of; phones ringing, lots of people talking and paper rustling. This technique is called a sound bridge.
00:40- An over exaggerated noise of the envelope hitting the desk was used as non-diegetic sound to portray to the audience that the envelope was very important. The fact that the office sounds were muted at this point indicate that the actor (at this point) knew what the envelope was for and everything around him was non existent apart from that envelope.
00:42-You can hear the pen being clicked quickly by the actor. This signifies that he is nervous and doesn't want to sign the papers therefore he is contemplating whether to sign them or not.
01:39-the music is played in the background as diegetic sound, this music blocks out all of the noise around the city and forces the audience to only listen to the music. The only people who are able to hear the music are the main character and the audience. This is effective as it gives the audience a sense of relationship with the character as they are able to feel the way he is feeling as he walks down the street.
 

Research Into Audience (Maisie Walker)

Thriller endure many sub genres which appeal to a range of different audiences

Crime Thrillers

For a  crime thriller research shows that they would appeal to teenagers and above. This is because they involve a lot of violence, crime and bad language. Most of the films researched were at a certificate of 15 and above. These films consisted of Night Crawler and the November Man. On the other hand films such as Sin City and The Departed were classed as an 18 or above. This means that the film can only appeal to those over the age of 18 which is therefore limiting their teenage audience.

Horror Thrillers

An example of a horror thriller would be Cabin in the Woods, the age rating for this particular film is a 15 therefore anyone over the age of 15 is able to watch. Much like all films, it is down to the parents permission whether children under the age certificate are able to watch. Another example of a horror thriller would be Psycho which is also a 15, this is a 1960's thriller therefore the horror aspect of the film isn't going to be as scary for children now days. Finally, House at the end of the street is a 2012 horror thriller which is certified at 15.

We found out that most Horror Thrillers that we looked at are certified at the age rating of 15, this is a fair rating as the film with have a broader audience.

Sci-Fi Thriller
An example of a Sci-Fi thriller would be Lucy, the age rating for this is a 15 as there is alcohol and drug use and frightening/intense scenes. In addition, The Jacket certificate has an age rating of 15, this is because sex/nudity and violence and gore is shown throughout the film. Finally Inception which was released in 2010 has the certificate of a 12. This is an anomaly because all of the films researched so far are at the age rating of a 15 apart from Inception which is a 12.

Action Thriller
The Purge Anarchy was released in 2014, this film is an action thriller because the use of frightening and intense scenes and a large use of profanity. The certificate for this film is a 15 however, due to the overuse of gore and death, i think it should be an 18 as it can be disturbing for younger viewers. Another example of an Action Thriller would be The Expendables 3, this has the certificate rating of 12A which is much lower than any other films we have researched. This is because of a large use of profanity and violence and gore, due to this, i believe that it should be at least a 15.

Psychological Thriller
The Ring is an example of a Psychological thriller, the certificate for this particular film is a 15 because of frightening/intense scenes. Another example of a psychological thriller would be Cube released in 1997, the certificate is a 15 again. However, in our opinion, this should be a 12 because, due to research, there are no traces of alcohol or drug use, profanity is used 2 times and nudity is not seen within the film. This makes the film mild and appropriate for children over 12 and under 15. Finally Saw includes horrific scenes of gore and violence, due to this, the film has been certified as an 18. This is also an anomaly because many Thriller films are at the certificate of 15. The use of an 18 restricts the audience as you are unable to have teens attend the screenings in the cinema.
Foreign Thriller
Headhunters has the certificate of a 15, this is because sex and nudity and violence and gore. This film was released in 2011

Our target audience was originally aimed at the age range of 15-50 but we have done more research into this age range and we feel our film will be best suited to people of a little older but not an 18 directly because the rest of the film does go to hard hitting extremes with the images of attack, rape and abuse to show the gritty realism of this day’s society. It also has images of the cuts which can be perceived as gore and may not be appropriate for the age range, but this will reduce our viewers and there are no graphic images the only reason we are hesitating putting the age of 15 because people may underestimate how real the situation is. Also certain shots in the film can be classed as ‘nudity’, in the two minute opening there’s a shot of the main character in the shower showing just her feet and the pool of blood beneath her after the attack and there is no nudity involved but some may find it inappropriate. We feel this is a prime way to show the events which have occurred. 

When we presented the pitch the our peers they asked very good questions regarding our age range and why we feel it may be too hard hitting for a 15 age range but too high for an 18 range. We have now edited our 2 minute opening of a feature film to shots of her feet in the shower instead of her running through the woods to show it was directly after the attack not while it was happening as we feel it was to hard to get the lighting correct and the right timing for certain angles with the running.

Research Into Similar Films (Maisie Walker, Georgia Skipper)

Crime Thriller: Roommate

Starts with an establishing shot and introduces the characters straight away. The film starts non-stereotypical because it does not show specifically that it is a horror. 

The film opening is not straight forward and the credits go up to 2 minutes 10 seconds. 

Critically acclaimed Thriller: Blare witch Project
This film starts with complete silence, this creates a dramatic effect because you are waiting for something dramatic to happen, because there is no music building climax, the audience are unaware of what is going to happen.
The film also starts as hand filmed and the text begins the sequence giving the audience information about the film before it starts. The film starts straight away giving the audience an insight to the action. No characters are introduced and there are no general specific shots.

Foreign Thriller: Funny Games
This film begins with showing the studio, this is a typical convention of a film in general because the studio gives the audience an idea of what the film is going to be like. The film begins with a crane shot and also includes non-diegectic music in the background. The characters are not introduced and it is very calm. This shows that the film is not a stereotypical opening to a thriller.

Mystery Thriller: Case 39
This film begins by showing the studio and then cuts straight to the action. The low lighting introduces a sense of an uneasy atmosphere. On the other hand, at the same time there is a shot on two separate people which then leads the film onto introducing the characters.

Psychological Thriller: The Step Father
This begins with the studios being shown however, an overlay of scary music is played int he background to make the audience feel uneasy before the film has even begun. After that it cuts straight to the action and shows that someone has been killed. The names of the characters have been shown which directly introduces the characters The main antagonist is shown which tells the audience straight away who is the killer. This introduces a context of life. The titles then continue throughout the 2 minute clip and there is Christmas music playing in the background showing that it is Christmas time, an overlay of screams occur showing that it is a contrast as Christmas is about happiness and family however he has killed all of his 'family'.

Scary Thriller: Possession
The studios are shown again at the beginning which is an indication as to what the film is going to be like. The slow music and fading titles make a scary atmosphere for the audience and get them into the scary thriller aspect before the film properly starts. There is information text at the beginning to show the context of the film. This also begins with an establishing shot and a range of angles. Diegetic sound and symbolism is used to show what is happening in the film.

Sci-fi Thriller: Anti-Viral 
The studio and producer are shown at the very beginning and there is no music only diegetic urban environment sounds. Symbolism is used with pale colours and cuts to silence to give the atmosphere of a futuristic sci-fi thriller.

Supernatural Thriller: The Ring Two
The studio is shown at the beginning with non-diegectic music which changes pace throughout. There is now silence and only dialogue. The film has a slow start and doesn't give much away at the beginning. The audience is linked to the film.

What are linked throughout all of the films and what we should use:

• Studio at the beginning of the film (14 Secs) 
• Diegectic sound (breathing and running)
• Fade in, non-Diegectic sounds
• Symbols-cuts, bruises. 
• Shots; Crab, POV close up, worms eye view/ low angle shot, long shot.

Budget (Maisie Walker)

The budget-

Clothes/ equipment:

Leggings- £7

Top- £4

Camera- used on iPhone (no price)

Stands (no price)

Makeup- £45

Hair equipment- £5

How much we will be spending and when

Other people that create similar scenarios on things such as this they spend around £200 on equipment which they use to create them. Luckily we have the advantage to have most of the equipment already there.

All the equipment needed will be brought by the 3rd December so it's there and if any additional pieces of equipment is needed to be purchased we can do that in time.