case studies

Jurassic World - US Blockbuster
Budget= $150 million
Box office= £1,668,912,312
Opening Weekend= $524,418,134

Stars- Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, Vincent D'Onofrio, B.D.           Wong, Irffan Khan

Genre- Science Fiction Adventure

Production Company- Amblin Entertainment, Legendary Pictures

Distributer- Universal

Running time= 124 minutes

Release Date- May 29 2015

Marketing= $34.9 million TV Advertisements, interviews.

Certificate- 12
Successful because chris pratt is famous, lots of advertisement and marketing, other jurassic park films to back it up. Big budget and released in cinemas worldwide. was in talks to produce this reboot for about 10 years. Interviews talking about their part in movie and the production process.

Kings of Summer- US Independent

Budget= $2 million

Box office= $1,315,590

Opening Weekend=

Stars- Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Erin Moriarty

Genre- Comedy, Drama

Production Company- Big Beach Films, Low Spark Films

Certificate- 15

Release Date- May 31 2013
Distributer- E1 films Canada, JIL, Arthaus Filmverleih, QED International
Running Time= 95 minutes
Not very successful because independent movie, not highly advertised/marketed, not well known stars. Loads of interviews with pop sugar etc promoting the movie and themselves. Show parts of film in interviews to encourage people to go watch it.

The Riot Club- UK
Budget-
Opening weekend= $808,939
Box Office= $2,146,041
Stars- Max Irons, Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth, Jessica Brown Findlay, Holliday Grainger
Genre- Drama Thriller
Production Company- Blueprint Pictures
Distributer- Universal Pictures International
Marketing- Trailer released May 2014
Quite successful because Sam Claflin was in hunger games, Douglas Booth is hot, Max Irons is Jeremy Irons son. So quite well known actors in UK. Interviews, talk about characters and their part in the film.
Director- lone scherfig known for an education- 2009

Film Noir Practical Task Reflective Analysis

For this task we had to take 5 shots of film sequence that was in the style of 1940s Film Noir. We had to include conventions of film noir such as the venetian blinds, shadows, and low angles. We also had to include a voiceover and flashbacks. During pre production we had to make up a story and plan what camera angles/movements we were going to use and we took a long time to do this because at first we couldn't think of any ideas, but after a while we started coming up with lots of ideas. My part in the production of the film was mainly filming, Rebecca edited it and we both directed it and helped each other with our roles. James did the acting and the voiceover. For our story we used a circular narrative in which at the end of the film we went back to the start and the middle of the film explained what was going on. In the first scene there is a birds eye view of the victim and it goes from an extreme close up to a mid-shot which we did so the audience focuses on the victim and also the birds eye view is used to show that they are a victim. Then we used a dissolve transition to show that there is a flashback, which goes into a long tracking shot of James' character walking down a street and at the end of the shot the camera tilts upwards to a spooky looking tree just to add to the mysteriousness. Then the next shot we did was a close up of a sign saying "strictly no admittance" which we used to show it was a crime scene. After that there is a shot of James looking through some venetian blinds, which are a convention of film noir. The last scene goes back to the start where there is a birds eye view of James but this time we go from a mid shot into an extreme close up as at the end his character dies so we wanted the audience to know this by zooming in on his eyes closing. We also recorded a voice over as this is also a convention of film noir and it helped the audience to know what was going on as it was only a short film sequence. In the end of the film he realises that he was the murderer because he has a split personality and he kills himself because he feels so guilty. During the making of our film the things that went well was the editing because me and Becca worked together but when we were trying to film it took us a long time because James kept walking off and chatting to his friends and we couldn't film anything because he was the actor in our film. So in the future i would work with Becca again because we work well together but James is too unreliable.

2 genres 5 conventions 5 themes

Western Conventions
Hats/boots
Guns/Shoot outs
Desert/ranches/jails/saloons
Cow boys/ gunslingers/bounty hunters

Themes
Shoot outs/show downs
Justice
Rescuing damsels
Fighting crime
Conflict

Romance Conventions
Wedding
Couple
Love
red/pink
Hearts

Themes
Obstacles e.g. infidelity, illness
search for love
Marriage
Forbidden love/ love at first sight
Overcoming obstacles

The Shining Analysis

The Shining - Analysis

The Shining is a 1980s horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick and is based on the novel by Stephen King. The film shows conventions and themes of a number of genres, including psychological horror and thriller. It stars Jack Nicholson as the main character Jack, who gets a job as a caretaker at a hotel in the winter season. Him, his wife Wendy and his son Danny move into the hotel but because they are so isolated and there is nobody else around, Jack slowly becomes disturbed and tries to kill his family. In this essay I am going to analyse two scenes from the film, referring to camera, lighting and editing techniques, as well as the sound and genre conventions.

In the opening scene of The Shining we first see an establishing shot, in which we can see mountains and a vast lake, which is used to establish the location and setting for the film. The mountains and lake make it isolated and the shadows make it dark, which are all conventions of horror films. The non-diegetic music is played from the very beginning and sets the mood of the film. It is deep, slow and sounds like trumpets/trombones; which is unsettling and scary. At this point the camera movement is a crane shot, which also helps to establish the scene, which moves forward and then swoops to the right into a dissolve transition on to a car driving down a winding road. I think that the way the camera swoops into this scene is a metaphor for the camera being a bird that is swooping in on its prey, which is the person in the car. The camera movement at this part is an aerial shot and is at a bird’s eye view angle which follows the car driving down this twisting road. This victimizes the person driving the car and the fact that the road is twisted could be a foreshadowing of Jack’s mind becoming twisted. Also the car is the only car on the road and is surrounded by trees which further adds to the theme of isolation. The film then jump cuts to an extreme long shot of the car and we can see the mountains and surroundings as well. This makes the car look miniscule compared to the mountains even though they are in the back ground but we still focus on the car as the camera is following it. In this shot high key lighting is used which gives us a false sense of security as it makes everything look bright. This is when the non-diegetic music starts to include more high pitched noises and instruments are used that sound like ghostly whispers; these are conventions of horror films and make it sound more sinister. There is then another jump cut to move time forward quicker and it shows the car driving up a slope and in front of an ominous rock wall and because it is an extreme long shot the person is yet again victimized and made to look insignificantly small. The camera then moves quicker and pans forward towards the car into a long shot. This whole scene seems like a predator sneaking up on its prey at first and then running after it to capture it. However the camera then continues to move forwards and goes past the car which lulls the viewer into the sense that nothing bad is going to happen. Then there is another jump cut to an aerial shot, at a high angle, of the car which makes it look tiny and like it is being watched and the non-diegetic sound at this moment are high pitched and sound like war cries. This could represent that danger or death is coming. The car is then shown to be driving towards a tunnel which is very dark and you can’t see inside it. This is a sign of danger and implies that the person is driving towards their death. Be that as it may, the car does come out of the other side of the tunnel into bright day light, which again makes the audience feel safe and secure. There are then two jump cuts to speed it up as it must be a long drive to where they are going. It jumps to a scene with mountains and snow everywhere which shows the audience that the person is driving higher and higher into the mountains, where they will be even more isolated and even further away from the outside world. Then it cuts to an aerial shot of a large building that looks like a spooky castle, which we then later find out is the hotel that Jack will be taking care of. It is grey and dark in colour which has connotations of loss/death and it also blends into the background of the mountains, making it look ghostly which gives the viewer an unsettling feeling about the hotel. Also on the car park there are quite a few red cars and the colour red symbolises danger and blood. During this shot of the hotel the non-diegetic sounds begin to sound like crying and wailing which signifies to the viewer that something bad is going to happen or bad things have already happened at the hotel. The crying sounds could be of the people that bad things happened to previously and these noises have been used to build up the tension. It then fades out to a blank screen with the words ‘THE INTERVIEW’ written on there. This is done so that the audience is aware that it is about to change to a completely new scene and as it is so sudden, it adds to the drama of the film.

Another scene is when Wendy and Danny are playing outside the hotel in the maze. At the start of this scene there is an extreme close up on Jacks typewriter so that we focus on it and see that it is not in use and the page is blank. While close up on the typewriter there is diegetic sound of a banging noise and then the camera pans backwards and tilts upwards into a long shot of Jack throwing a ball at a wall. This is done to show that Jack is getting bored and that there is no one there to communicate with so he has to entertain himself. It highlights the fact that they are isolated and are the only ones in the hotel. It then cuts to Danny and Wendy outside the hotel where there is high key lighting used to make it seem like they are safe and secure. However they are both wearing red items of clothing which has connotations of danger. The camera uses a tracking shot to follow them into the maze and then it goes into a close up on the map of the maze. This is done to show that they could get trapped or lost in there easily and we also see the name of the maze is “The Overlook Maze”, which suggest that they are being watched. Then it cuts to a backwards tracking shot of Wendy and Danny in the maze and then cuts to a tracking shot of them from behind so it looks as though they are being followed. This victimizes Danny and Wendy and the High pitched non-diegetic music emphasises the creepiness of the situation. There is then a dissolve transition onto Jack which makes it look as though time has gone forward a bit. We see that Jack is still throwing the ball around the hotel, which could show that he is starting to become unstable. He then walks over to a small scale model version of the maze and the camera comes into a mid-shot so that we can see what Jack is doing. As this is happening the music gets quieter but still continues to be high pitched. It then cuts to a front view of Jack from the other side of the maze model and he is leaning over the maze. This makes Jack look like he is watching Danny and Wendy in the maze and this is further shown when it cuts to a birds eye view of the maze. It is made to look like a point of view shot for Jack, but Danny and Wendy are there. When this happens there is tinkering noises that sound mystical and spooky. The birds eye view shot makes them look small and like victims and the camera then zooms in like it is closing in on them, which is done to make it look like they are trapped and have no escape. There is a cut to a backwards tracking shot like they are still being followed. The music is faster and tense which adds suspense to the scene and makes the viewer sure that something bad is going to happen. However the screen then suddenly fades out to blank with the word ‘TUESDAY’ written on there and as this happens the music suddenly stops with a loud, high pitched bang noise, which made me jump.

Reflective Analysis

This week we were put into groups of three and were asked to create a short horror/thriller genre film using different camera angles and movements, as well as diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Our aim was to make a thriller film using all the camera angles we were given and add in sound after we had finished filming. We decided that a thriller film would be easier to create considering our limited resources and equipment. My role in the production of the film was filming, directing and acting as every person in our group wanted experience of all aspects of creating a film. I also had input in the decision of what music we would add to the film, as well as helping to edit it. We filmed our movie in a graveyard as we felt that this would make it creepy and added a theme of death, which could be seen as a foreshadowing of the death of the main character. In our film the main character is running away from a murderer and then trips over and gets killed. We wanted to fulfill the thriller genre so we made the film so that the audience never sees the murderers face. I think that this adds suspense to the film as you want to know who the murderer is. Near the beginning we did a close up shot on the victims face to show their emotions and to emphasise how scared they are. When the murderer walks away from the victim, we used a low angle to show that the mystery person is powerful and it makes the audience more fearful of that character. When the main character is running away we panned the camera to follow them and then cut to a Point of view shot where we see what the character sees. In the point of view shot we see the character fall over and then we cut to the camera pointing at the ground and we hear the main character scream. It then cuts to the low angle of the murderer walking away. We did this so that the audience can guess what happens without actually seeing it, which reinforces the thriller genre of the film. Overall I think that we have created a good thriller film but it may not have the same effect that we wanted it to as it is quite funny because we are not professional actors, and this is evident when you watch the film.

favourite film summer 2015

My favourite film I have watched this summer 2015 is probably Jurassic World. I really enjoyed the Jurassic Park films so I went to the cinema to see if this film was as good as or even better than and in my opinion it was a lot better. It is my favourite film of this summer 2015 for a number of reasons, one being that the dinosaurs were a lot more realistic because technology has improved a lot since the Jurassic Park films were released. I enjoyed this film because it did not take long to get into the action and the main part of the story. I was worried that this film would be too similar to the Jurassic Park films, however the story was very different, because the scientists at the park had created a new species of dinosaur using a mixture of different dinosaurs DNA. This made the film exciting because it was unpredictable of what this dinosaur could do. My favourite part of the film was when we found out that the dinosaur was part raptor so the raptors, which were trained by the main character, turned against the humans but then near the end they helped the humans take down the dinosaur because they realised that their trainer had looked after them and had a real connection with them. I think that this part added emotion to the film, which is another reason why I enjoyed the film because it wasn’t just an action film, it had a number of different moods which included a few funny parts and also sad parts as well as exciting parts. I think that this film is my favourite film of this summer because it was a very clever story line and was written in a way that there will be a sequel, the acting was very good as they obviously had to pretend the dinosaurs were there, it was an amazing action film and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Colombiana

Colombiana

Colombiana is an action thriller film starring Zoe Saldana. In this clip it shows a woman (Zoe Saldana) in a prison cell who escapes her cell to kill another inmate and then gets back into her cell so that nobody suspects it was her. One of the first camera technique we see in this clip is a low angle on a prison guard which is done to show that they are supposed to be in charge of the prisoners and are powerful over them. Throughout the clip there is low lighting which creates a scary or tense atmosphere which is enhanced by the non-diegetic music, added at certain points in the clip, which also adds suspense. We see the main character put on a black cat suit which could show colour being used to symbolise death and mystery as in the clip she kills another prisoner and she is sneaking around the jail whilst the guards are unaware of what is going on. The clip has many cuts which make it seem more fast paced and the parallel editing shows what is happening in different locations. It shows that what the woman does affects what happens in the other scenes, e.g. when she turns the cctv camera around, this makes the police officer watching the cctv react and think that something must be wrong. There are also many close ups used, for example there is a close up of a warning sign for a room with electrical equipment and the woman goes in there with a cup of water so you can guess what she is going to do. Then there is a close up of the water slowly dripping into the machine which is done to show how much time the woman has got to carry out her plan and makes it more intense. When the machine short circuits we hear diegetic noise of it shutting down and this lets the audience know that her plan to turn the machine off so that she can crawl through the fan has worked. In the scene where she is climbing through the giant fan/propeller there is parallel editing done where in the other part there is a guard going to turn it back on after her trick with the water made the machine short circuit. This is done because it adds tension as you do not know whether she is going to get through on time. At one point in the clip, the woman jumps off a roof and grabs on to the ledge so that she doesn't fall. This scene is edited in slow motion which makes us focus on the action and makes it look more exciting or dangerous. After this she is hanging off the edge and there is a low angle on a prison guard who is looking for her over the roof. This is done to emphasise how close they are but she is still not seen. As the action in the film increases, the music gets faster and louder which makes it more fast paced and like she is running out of time to get back to her cell before she gets caught. When she is climbing back over the ledge there is close ups on her feet as she is slipping and struggling to get back up the building, however she manages to do it which shows her strength. The close up is done so that we concentrate on her feet so we think she is going to fall but then you feel a sense of relief when she manages to gain control and get back onto the roof. Throughout the clip there is parallel cuts and this is done to show us how the main characters actions are affecting the actions of the other characters in the parallel scenes. For example when she kills another prisoner, there are parallel scenes to show her trying to get back to her cell without being caught and the prison guards running around frantically as they are clueless as to how and who killed the prisoner. Before she kills the other prisoner there is a close up on her gun. This is done to show the audience what is going to happen and so we can’t see anything else, so that we focus on the gun. There is also a point of view shot where she has got back in to her prison cell on time and the guards are going round making sure all other prisoners are still in their cells. We see what the guards see, which is the woman lying down on her bed with her normal clothes back on.

Horror Film

30 Days of Night

30 Days of Night is a horror film about a town in Alaska where during the winter they have 30 days of darkness and are invaded by vampires who plan to destroy the town and its people. The film stars Josh Hartnett, Melissa George and Danny Huston In the main roles and it is directed by David Slade. In the beginning of the film a creepy man comes to town and cuts off all types of communication and transport from the townspeople, stopping them from leaving or contacting anybody. He then warns them that they’re all going to die and that “they’re coming” but he will be saved by them. However, when the vampires arrive nobody is safe. For 30 days the very few survivors of the attack are stuck hiding out in an attic, planning how to defeat the vampires whilst they roam the town looking to destroy any remaining life. I think that this film is not a very scary horror film but it is very gory. I did enjoy this film slightly because the ending was good and the story was different to other vampire films but I personally do not like horror films.

In the film the creepy man at the start destroys all forms of transport in the town, including the husky dogs. In this scene the dogs are barking with teeth showing so are obviously distressed and probably trying to warn off the intruder, then there is a close up on a knife so you know that something bad is going to happen. This could also be interpreted as a foreshadowing of what the vampires do to the humans. There is also a scene that uses an aerial shot that moves forwards so that you can see the devastation caused by the vampires. In this view you can see a lot of blood because the town is covered in snow, so the contrast in colours emphasises the suffering of the town and the people. As well as this there is use of diegetic sound throughout the film, for example when the survivors are hiding in the attic you can hear people still screaming outside. Although you cannot actually see what is going on, it is clear that something dreadful is happening. In the film the vampires have very dark or red eyes, which could mean that colour has been used to show that they are evil as the colour red is usually associated with danger and blood.

Overall I think that this is an average film with a good use of camera techniques and sound etc. but I do not think that it is scary enough, it is more gory and there are some parts where you have to look away from the screen especially with the added sound effects which make it even more horrible.

Jurassic World Box Office Success

Jurassic world

Jurassic world was released in UK cinema on 11^th June 2015 and was a box office success worldwide. It has made a new world record for the biggest opening weekend worldwide making £524.1 million beating the previous record of £483.2 million held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 [http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Jurassic-World-About-Beat-Another-Record-Held-By-Avengers-72140.html]. It is also the highest grossing film of 2015 so far and is in 3^rd place on the highest grossing films of all time. I will be discussing how Jurassic world became a box office success and how success of a film is measured. The success of the film is measured by how much money it makes from ticket sales and how long it runs for.

Jurassic world became a box office success for a number of reasons. I think that one of the main reasons for the film’s success is the rise in ticket prices over the years. It may have only placed 3^rd on the highest grossing films ever because the ticket prices are higher this year than they have been for films released in other years.  Another reason for the film’s success could be that the male lead is played by Chris Pratt who is a popular actor and became more well know after starring in Guardians of the Galaxy and voicing the main character in The LEGO Movie, which are both very popular films and were only released in the year before Jurassic World was. The success of this film was probably because of the success of Jurassic Park, as the fans of this would have probably wanted to watch Jurassic World to see how it compared to the original. Another reason for the success of the film is the huge marketing campaign, with the director and lead actors/actresses doing interviews and speaking about how much the first film had influenced Jurassic World and that the trailer was shown in the adverts before “blockbuster” [http://www.thewrap.com/inside-jurassic-worlds-t-rex-sized-marketing-triumph/] movies such as The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, Furious 7 and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

To conclude I think that Jurassic World was a box office success because of the amount of advertising and marketing and the fact that it is linked to Jurassic Park which was very successful at the time it was released in cinemas.

REFERENCES

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369610/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_dt_dt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_office

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Jurassic-World-About-Beat-Another-Record-Held-By-Avengers-72140.html

http://www.vox.com/2015/6/18/8798155/jurassic-world-box-office-record

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Jurassic-World-What-We-Know-So-Far-41703.html

http://www.thewrap.com/inside-jurassic-worlds-t-rex-sized-marketing-triumph/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_films