Genre

In class, we have been studing genre, its meaning and theories which explain why genre is important. In the presentation below, you will see all of the main media genre theorists and how their theory applies to my short film 'ABDUCT'.

Genre theories from zoerichardson

Narrative

When it comes to thinking about the narrative of my short film, it is most important to decide on the structure in which I want the story line to follow.
Structure
After having a discussion with Sophie about this, we thought it was best to use a linear structure as it would allow us to make the short film more successful based around our skills. As we were both new to media at the start of the Alevel course, we did not know anything about the creation of a short film. By creating a linear structure, we thought it would be easier creating one based on this as it made most sense to use and we had already thought about a good story line which would fit this.
When looking back on my short film, it also features open structure in some areas as the audience as left to think for themselves about what happens. This features in the final scene where Lily dies. Due to the relationship between the talent, we could not show any sort of voilence or sexual scenes, so we decided to apply a voiceover which said "and thats when I died". This enabled the auidence to know that the killer, George, did actually kill her and she unfortunatley died. From this, it allows the audience to imagine for themselves, the way in which he killed her.
Narrative
Over the years, the complexity of the narrative of media texts has increased. Media texts, such as films, now expect you to know what is going on in the film, without neccessarly telling you the plot. This has become the norm of films and Sophie and myself decided to stick to this convention and not reveal all about our plot. Two features within the narrative are unrestricted narrative and restricted narrative. The unrestricted narrative in our film is evident as there is a killing at the end of the short film. This is expected in thrillers and therefore the audience will subconciously presume that there will be one featuring in my short film. The restricted narrative is evident at some stages of my short film as I do not inform my focus group that Lily's father has died before hand and that's why she visits the grave. This should, however, become clear when she goes to visit his gravestone after school. After factor which isn't directly shown in the short film is that George waits for Lily everyday after school and stalks her to the graveyard, reassuring her route and that it is a daily occurance.

There are many theories that have been conducted which can support films narrative.

Barthes
Barthes is a very popular narrative study which has been created to support the idea that to understand a narrative, a producer must follow codes which help the audience pick up the plot to a film/short film. These 5 codes are:

1. Action code - something that the audience knows and doesn't need explaining.
2. Enigma code - something that is hidden from the audience.
3. Semic code - something the audience can notice through connotations.
4. Symbolic code - something that symbolises something abstract.
5. Referential code - something that happens within a culture and is understood.

Barthes theory is the most suited to my short film and its narrative so therefore I fully agree with it.

1. Action code - the audience knows that George is the disturbed peadophile.
2. Enigma code - the audience are unaware that the father has died beforehand.
3. Semic code -
4. Symbolic code -
5. Referential code - that Lily goes to school everyday as this is the norm in most countries, especially England.

As you can see above, all of the 5 codes are met, which fully supports Barthes theory. In turn this should make the audience fully aware of whats happening at all times and make the narrative and plot of the short film succesful.

ODOROV
Odorov also created a very popular theory which explains the sequence in which a narrative should and does follow in. It is conducted of 5 steps which are listed below:

1. Equilibrium - everyday life.
2. Disruption - something happens to alter the equilibrium.
3. Conflict  - trying to solve the problem.
4. .Resolution - problem is sorted.
5. New Equilibriun - back to normal.

When looking at my short films narrative, it is clear to see that some of the steps of this theory is met, however not all are achieved.

1. Equilibrium - you see Lily coming out of school which is something that occurs every week.
2. Disruption - as Lily gets kidnapped this alters the equilibrium.

The other three factors of conflict, resolution and new equilibrium do not get met with the narrative of my short film so this contradicts the theory as it doesn't apply and therefore the theory could be seen as in accurate. However this theory may not fit my short film due to the genre being a thriller - this could be different with other genres.

A B D U C T -short film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GXNdAWDxC0

Ancilary Tasks

 

Below is the film poster which Sophie created for our short film.

 

 

 

 

Below is the magazine film review page which I created for our short film.

 

Film Review Examples

Below are some examples of magazine film reviews which the writers opinion and thoughts about the film and they all display similar conventions to do with these kinds of reviews.
As you can see from the examples below, most reviews feature across a double spread with is mainly dominated by a large image which features actors/actresses in the film.
Other clear features are the large name which is normally eye catching - the font, size and colour all have connotations which can help set the mood and theme of the film.
Most film titles are sans serif which portrays ideas that the film is modern and recent however can also conveys ideas that it is quite basic and original. Also the double page spread reviews portray a lot of colour which allows them to be appealing and attracting. The bright colours used, make the film seem more enticing and interesting.
There is minimal text on each review, considering it's a double page spread because you don't want to give too much of the films details away and you want to set the right atmosphere for the readers to want to watch the film.
On some review pages, the narrater normally adds in an overall rating which are displayed as yellow stars. The more yellow stars present, the better the film is. This helps to give the readers an insight to how effective the film is and reinforces the readers to watch it.
Alot of review pages use text boxes to display all of the text and this allows the to split the text into sections and make it easier to read and have more of an established layout. Some review pages include text boxes which use quotes about opinions of that film; these are normally displayed in big apostrophes ("...") so the readers know that they are quotes. This helps to give more positive feedback which makes the film sound more interesting.










 

Editing Schedule

We have both devised an editing schedule to out out when and what we are going to edit on a certain day and time. This is important for us to do, as it will help us break down the load we have we have to edit and will give us an idea on how it will give us an idea on how long it will take. As we have already started filming a scene which is centered in the middle of our film. We thought this would be better to get this part done and start editing on it as it was filmed in a different location and because we didn't want to leave all of our editing to the end and concentrate on just filming. This benefited us as we could combine filming and editing either, which could enable us to get it all done quicker.

We made a deadline to finish filming on the 5th November in which we stuck to, however we made sure we left extra time just in case we wanted to add anything or change anything that we don't like. When it comes to editing our clips we have decided to break up particular scenes which we thought would be benefical as it allowed us to concentrate on them and then organise everything together when we have completed all of the filming. This mean that we would have to plan out when the clips were going to be edited and order each scene for that date and time as well; this is shown below.

Logically the bigger the scene, the longer it's going to take to edit so we wanted to make sure that we scheduled enough time for the big scenes as well as the small ones. This is so we wasn't rushing it or focusing too much on one particular scene.

Graveyard - 5 hours worth of editing (Tuesday, Thursday & Friday week 1)
The first scene that we was going to edit was the 'graveyard' scene, as this was the first of the filming we done. This would need a lot of editing as it was that part of the film where we need to build up a lot of feelings and adrenaline and a huge amount of anticipation. So we gave this part 5 hours.

Cupboard - 2/3 hours worth of editing (Tuesday and possibly Thursday week 2)
Second part of filming was centered in the school, however we need to do a lot of preperation to the location beforehand as there is a lot of items and products in there that we either need to move or cover. This meant that we would need to get this part and edited in less than two days as time is running out. But we gave it 2/3 hours to get it done as it is a scene were lots of cuts need to be made/included.

School - 2/3 hours worth of editing (Friday week 2)
Last bit of filming was filmed in the school, so we hope it would be finished sooner than filming in a different location. However, as editing does take some time we did give it 2-3 hours worth of editing to this particular scene.

Falling Leaf - 1 hour (Friday week 2)
This is a scene that we are hoping to include if we have the time to film it. To make it work to the way we want it to look and then edited it as well. However, doing practice clips of this is extremely hard to get the effect we wanted so we are basing this scene on how much time we gave at the end of filming and editing; this is mainly because it's an extra scene that isn't neccessarily needed in the film.

Film Posters

 

We also thought it would be helpful to research examples of film posters as it will show us what again is displayed on the page, how they may create feelings or moods through pictures and colours and what sort of context is involved and how is it shown. I have particulaorly chosen posters that are and look similar to our genre.

This is a very effective poster as it has a lot of detail which is significant to the film and will give the audience an insight about what the film is about. The title 'NOTHING TO LOSE' is printed in a white sans serif font which makes it clear and distinct from the poster and shows signs that the poster is recent. It has included a review from the magazine 'GQ' which makes the film poster sound more impressive. The actor on it is giving the audience direct eye contact so they feel more directed and targeted by the film poster.

This is the poster from 'THE LOVELY BONES', which our short film idea is based around. As you can see both of the main characters are shown on the cover however the evil character, George is in a dark shadow which symbolises his dark side and that he is trouble. Susie, the young girl who gets killed is in the bright light with the sun shining behind her, signifing that she is innocent and heavenly suggesting ideas that she might die in the film. The location that the poster is shot in, or edited onto, is taken from the film so all mise en scene flows. This makes the poster look professional and more realistic. The word 'LOVELY' is edited in bold which can demonstrate the angelic and kind side of the characters. Similarly, the white sans serif font portrays the idea of purity which can be closely linked to Susie Salom.



This poster of 'MY AMITYVILLE HORROR' is very effective as it has miminal detail however it is very endearing and eye catching. The direct eye contact from the actor allows the audience to feel more involved with the film/poster and may give them a more meaningful insight to the moods and feelings that the characters may feel in the film. The close up of the actors face shows an unhappy expression which displays a sense of evil or foreboding in the poster. The colour of the poster is very dull and dark which can reinforce the evil side of the film however the picture of the little boy is in colour which could evoke the idea of innocence and suggest that the film is something to do with him. The newspaper pictures around the face of the actor could show connotations on what there is to come in the film and they show key words such as 'Lutz' 'Exorcism' 'Amityvile' 'Nightmare' and 'Horror' which are all of similar ideas and meanings. The red font suggests the idea of blood or danger which could also be closely related to the film.

                                                                         

When focusing on the first draft of my film poster, I have realised I am right to focus much more on the female and male characters. However i have looked at film posters, with mostly women on and i have realised that my female looks in way too much peril, as she is a school girl in school uniform with tape over her mouth; people could complain about this representation which is quite a disturbing image when you look at it.
Below are some of the film posters I have chosen:

 This poster of 'FUNNY GAMES' is very effective as the actress on the cover is crying which shows distress and suggests ideas that the film is set around drama/thriller however she is still very attractive which will attract the target audience, males, as they would like to watch a film with actractive actresses in it. Her expression portrays the idea that she is in fear of something as her mouth is dropped and her lips are dry which could convey ideas that shes cold or out of breath. Her eye is very focused which could mean there is something she's in fear of and has to watch at all times to remain safe. Her hair is over one eye, showing to be quite messy which could suggest she has been running or is in a bad situation where she has not time to worry about her hair. There is miminal writing on the poster - the title is in captials in a white sans serif font which stands out against the background and suggests that there is a sense of inocence behind it. There is a text box containing information about the film which is in a small print as no-one really pays attention to this information and it isn't as important.

This poster for 'GOTHIKA' is effective because the actress looks trapped as she has her hands against glass. She has direct eye contact with the camera which would make the audience engage with her character more and make them feel vulnerable. The direct eye contact portrays the message of 'help' as you can see pain/fear and sympathy in her eyes asking to be let out. The poster has been edited blue which could suggest ideas that the surroundings she is in are cold, similarly there are rain drops on the glass which conveys ideas that she is outside or looking outside, wanting to go out.There is much more text on this poster which gives it substance and looks more informative than others. I feel this makes the readers feel more knowledgeable about the film. The title is in a sans serif font however looks spoody and scratched or craved on to something; this suggests negative connotations like frightfulness and fear. Similarly, the same font seems to be engraved onto her forearm. It says 'not alone' which also gives the audience an insight for what to come.

This poster of 'CHLOE' is again very effective as they've made the actress look empowering due to the direct mode of address - using eye contact, allowing her to personally target the audience and make them feel on edge. As she is sightly looking up, it suggests a sense of evil or mystery as she looks like shes in control. She is very attractve which draws attention to the poster and her big eyes are very endearing which captures people attention.  The other actor and actress are edited on behind her conoting that their roles aren't as important in the film or that they are less powerful. The title 'CHLOE' is a females name which suggests that this could be the name of the blonde actress conveying ideas that the film is based around her. The images in the poster are of strobe lights and cars along a lit up street which suggests a high life profile and a lot of money is involved which sets the scene.

This poster of 'SCREAM' is very capturing due to the close up of the actresses face which makes the audience feel more involved and engaged into her emotions. Her hand is over her mouth as if shes seen something frightening and her eyes are wide which supports this idea. Easily, you can see that she is scared and distressed at what she has just seen.with her eyes wide as well. She is a very attractive female and still looks pretty even with the situation she is in. The title is set out with spaces in between each letter which could signify a long period of pain or distress. It is printed in a white, sans serif font which is also in captials which could suggest that the title is being shouted or there for a dramatic effect. The letter 'M' has been edited different compared to the other letters which could portray ideas that is something intriging or different about the film. There is a lot of text at the bottomof the poste, which is again printed in a small font as they are details that aren't that important.

This poster of 'the silence of the lambs' is an effective poster due to the close up of the clear skin, beautiful face. The deep brown eyes are very intriging and draw the attention of the audience. The clear, flawless skin shows purity and innocence. The mouth is covered by a moth with contradicts the title as it suggests that 'lambs' are invovled. This would make the audience question what the film is about and in turn, will watch it to find out. The title in all in low case sans serif font which suggets it is quite a laid back film and the colour 'oragne' makes it seem quite warm and friendly. Just like other posters, there is small font at the bottom containing information which isn't that important.

This poster of 'THE SEASONING HOUSE' is very effective due to the actress which is on the cover. As she is young, it makes the audience feel vulnerable for the actress and the look of misery and despair enhances this idea.When taking my short film into consideration and my genre, this would be the closest to my idea due to the age and genre to my short film due to the young actress and the mood it portrays. This poster is hard to read as the actress looks distressed and vulnerable, however she is holding a knife which could suggest she is the one thats in control of it. The direct eye contact emphasises this idea as it makes the audience/viewers feel on edge and uncomfortable looking at it. The actress is also holding a teddy bear which reinforces her age. The editing of the poster seems to have a 'sepia' tinge to it, which conveys the idea of an old/dated setting. The serif font also supports this idea as it is an old style of font and matching this with the theme of the film will help to show the mood and feeling it is trying to create.

This poster of 'WAZ' is very effective as there is a closer up on the persons face, mainly focusing on the eye which shows the idea of evil. The shot clearly shows the expression on their face which looks smug which could portray ideas they have achieved something - maybe revenge? This idea is reinforced by the blood which is on their face which could suggest drama and gory element will occur; this also conveys the idea that they are in control. I am unsure if the person is male or female in the picture which could also create mystery as it makes me want to find out more. The title is in a red sans serif font which could resemble blood or hatred which fits in nicely with the picture and the mood it portrays.