Target Audience Research and Profile

This collage above is a collection of pictures that we associate with our target audience of 15+. This was created after both primary and secondary reaserch was completed.

In order to gain a detailed insite into who our target audience is going to be we conducted both praimary and secondary research. Our primary research consists of a variety of question produced in a questionaire, and as for our secondary research we looked into Pearl and Dean audience profile website. Using this website we had a look at three films which were Shutter Island, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Transporter 3.
From both our primary and secondary research above we have come to the conclusion that our target audience will be ranging from the ages of 15-45. We selected random people to complete our questionnaire, where we asked our target audience what their hobbies were, what their favourite genre of film is, what their favourite film was, their age range, occupation and class.We recognised that females are more interested in thrillers than males, whereas on our secondary research where we compared Shutter Island, The Woman With The Dragon Tattoo, and Transporter 3 through Pearl and Dean, this showed us the variety of ages, the class and the ratio of genre, we saw that more males watch thrillers than females, but the ratio difference was not extreme. For example, when you have a look at the statistics for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo you can see that the percentage between male and female is 56% male and 44% female. From this it is apparent that the gender ratio for our target audience would be both men and women.
The majority of our target audience liked to socialise, do some sort of sport which they done to get keep fit and enjoyment, a very few liked reading. As we didn't have long to find out about our target audiences we asked people in a 5 mile radius, coming from places such as Windsor, Slough, Datchet, Bracknell, Eton and Old Windsor. From our questionnaire we can see we questioned people will all different types of occupation such as managers, sales assistance, teachers and students. All of our target audience were Middle class earning either a low wage of between £0-200 a week which were students with part time jobs, or £600-800 depending on the occupation.
From establishing our target audience we are now aware of what elements from our video would attract them. Our clip will attract our target audience by using generic thriller crime conventions such as enigma, the audience are old enough to work out and question what is going on without giving away too much. It will also contain scenes of violence and drugs and influence of sexual abuse which will also keep them engaged throughout. We have included both a antagonist and a protagonist which are commonly used in thrillers, this will help the audience to have a clearer view on the storyline, resulting in them wanting to watch more.

Sound and Music in Thriller Films Analysis 2

For the sound and music research we have chosen to analyse the first two minutes of Black Swan and Oceans Twelve.

The first thriller we will be analysing is Black Swan. We are introduced to the Black Swan by a sound effect of a train chugging, this effect continues for around ten seconds. Another sound effect is used shortly after of what sounds like a pack of cards flickering, this happens when the film company name appears. This then switches to 5 seconds of silence, this builds tension and makes the audience question what is about to happen. As the producers and directors are introduced, music is also introduced we hear a quiet violin, this again continues for another ten seconds. The volume of the violin increases as the title "Black Swan" appears on the screen, we then hear a short diegetic laughter of a female character, this builds enigma as we wonder why or what she is laughing at. The music of the violin carrys on before we hear a collaboration of all different stringed instruments, as soon as we see an element of the main character which is her feet, this is when all the the stringed instruments come together in a slow pace. After almost 7 seconds of this music playing the volume increases. As the main character slows the pace of her ballet dance down, her face is revealed and the volume decreases again to almost silence. After we see the full body of the character the stringed instruments all come together again, however they also add a crash symbol, this creates suspense and is parallel to the visuals.

Secondly, we will be analysing Oceans Twelve which is a Crime Thriller and may influence and help us when we come to make our own opening sequence as we have the same sub genre. The first sound we are introduced to is a church bell, when the Time Warner company appears on the screen. The church bell changes pitch from low to high conveying the sound of wedding bells. Shortly after, a stormy sound is used as the Village Roadshow Pictures approaches the screen. The sound effects of all the ambient sounds such as the door opening, the keys jingling and the footsteps, this adds realism to the first scene. As the main character is walking round his house we hear the sound of water running, whilst this is happening we continue to hear ambient sounds such as the glass touching the table. As we are welcomed to the second character, we hear the first bit of dialogue which is spoken by the main male character to a female character, roughly one minute into the clip. While they are speaking, the sound of water is still continuing slightly in the background. The dialogue continues of the two characters having a conversation about their day.

As Black Swan and Oceans Twelve are both different genres of thrillers, they are obviously going to be different sound effects and music to ensure that they fulfil their conventions accurately. The Black Swan conveys their conventions successfully because the audience are always questioning what is happening and why, on the other hand Oceans Twelve didn't have any conventions of a crime thriller in the first two minutes of the clip. Also, The Black Swan used a wide variety of instruments such as a violin and other stringed instruments, whereas the opening sequence of Oceans Twelve did not include any instruments. The first two minutes of The Black Swan didn't include any dialogue which may of helped with the enigma, though Oceans Twelve included dialogue throughout half of the opening sequence.

Sound and Music in Thriller Films Analysis 1

Our first film that we analysed is called 'The Watcher', this is a crime thriller. We have analysed the different sound effects, the music, any dialogue used or even just silence.
From the first five seconds of the clip we can immediately hear a loud bong noise which is then followed by a tapping sound effect. They are both continued and repeated around every five seconds, which is also when actors and producers names simultaneously appear on screen in time with the thumping effects. After a while of hearing the repetitive sounds there are two taps of a chime on the triangle proceeding to the noise of a squeaky door opening. As the 40 seconds of the clip arrives the title appears with the music becoming louder, more intense and engaging the audience. The frequent tapping stops and is replaced with a CD scratching sound effect.
Throughout the middle of the opening sequence, the high pitched sounds start to appear and a violin slowly approaches the soundtrack becoming more noticeable as it proceeds. Around about 1:15, dialogue of a female voice singing gradually begins to get louder and then fades away quietly so we can just about hear it over the soundtrack. Towards the ending of the clip, all the sounds that have come together previously speeds up and increasingly becomes louder to create suspense for the audience.

Our second choice of film which we analysed is called 'The Sixth Sense' which is a psychological thriller. We have again analysed the different sound effects, the music, any dialogue used or even just silence.
The beginning of this two minute opening sequence starts off with a wind sound effect. A violin sound which fades in and out every few seconds, is added during this wind sound effect. Both of these sounds being played together creates tension as the film starts. This violin sound is heard every time a name appeared on screen. As the title 'The Sixth Sense' approaches the screen, the violin comes back in but a lot more louder and faster, followed by the sound of a crash symbol.
As we become further into the opening sequence, the violin carries on but this time with a piano being played in the background while names are showing on screen. Suddenly, a drum comes in which gives the effect that it is building up to the opening of the film. This is followed by increasing levels of violin, however, as we see the cast and crew names on the screen, the levels of violin is sustained at an average pace. The violin then begins to fade in and out and the piano is changing from low key to high key in a repetitive pattern as more of the cast and crew names appear.

As for the comparison between the sound and music of these two thriller films we can notice that there are both similarities and differences. In terms of similarities we can recognise that both soundtracks have a high level of tempo when the title sequence appears on screen. Yet, the pace of the soundtrack for both films are different. For example, they both run on different paces which then portrays different meanings. Both of these films include the same instrument at some point - a violin. However, The Watcher includes a female singing/humming a tune, where as The Sixth Sense does not have any dialogue in the opening sequence. On the other hand, The Sixth Sense includes a lot more instruments than The Watcher does,  for example, a violin, a drum and a piano. We may think that because The Watcher only includes very few instruments that it will be less effective but in actual fact it has a lot more sound effects which make up for the lack of instruments used. We feel that based on the sound of the opening sequence The Sixth Sense is a lot more engaging as it builds up tension in a more detailed way than The Watcher where it starts off with a loud bang. The Sixth Sense also has a more thriller feel to it where as, if you only listened to The Watcher, you could mistake it for an action thriller soundtrack, due to the fast pace and vibrant sound effects.

Initial Ideas Mind Map

Pitch Presentation Of Ideas

 

As a group we created a power point presentation of our initial ideas for our thriller opening sequence. Our presentation included the narrative of our opening sequence, the location where it will be set, the props, costume and make up we would need, who will be taking each individual job role, who the main characters will be, and our title. We thought about each micro area carefully in order to create a opening sequence to the best of our ability fulfilling our specification. To improve our thriller further and to discover what we done well our piers and teacher gave us feedback.

From this feedback we got asked whether it would be better to film our external scene in the dark, from this we have to ensure we investigate into what time the sun sets, and specifically how dark or light we want the scene to be, our teacher suggested that we test shot the scene at different times.

One of our piers found it positive that we included a protagonist and an antagonist as this fits in with our crime thriller conventions. By having a clear protagonist and antagonist it help the audience to understand the meaning of the sequence.

Another pier said that our title matches up with the narrative very well, we supported this statement by giving a definition as to what "Hostage" means and it matched up with our story line. This is also a advantage as it follows the generic thriller conventions.

We got advised to think about the mise en scene in the bedroom, which is the second location in our sequence, to ensure that there are no obvious mistakes we will empty the bedroom for any unwanted props or objects that could be displayed in our focus.

Our teacher pointed out that we included the majority of the crime thriller conventions and we done them well. When it comes to our final ideas we will guarantee that all these conventions continue throughout all ideas.

Another piece of feedback that we received from our teacher was about our location, keeping basic will help to keep the audience focused and aware of what is going on, also by using location that are local will confirm that is is available at any time and if mistakes are used whilst filming we can re do our work to improve.

A piece of important advice we received from our teacher was to carefully think about who is going to play the male character (the antagonist) as he will always need to be available in case we need to re film any scenes.

We have been told by our teacher that we need to think about specific sounds we want to use in our opening sequence, to confirm that this happens and makes our clip clean, it may benefit us to record the sounds after we have filmed as we can get the microphone on the camera closer to the sounds, we would then add these in during post production.

From our constructive comments we can see what we have done well, which we will  then continue through to our final ideas. However, we can also see what we need to do to improve our opening sequence, for example add test shots.

Past Student Work Analysis 2

We analysed a two minute opening sequence created by a student from Windsor Boys' School, this clip was a psychological thriller called 'Alone'. This student used all four micro areas very well to portray the psychological thriller conventions.

The first micro area we will be looking at is camera work. This student used a variety of different camera techniques to create tension for the audience. Throughout the extract, there are many close ups and also extreme close ups to show us his emotions through his facial expressions. A handheld tracking was used twice: once when the character was walking through the hallway and another towards the end of the extract on the antagonists knife. This makes the audience curious as to why the murderer was doing this and if he will do it without the protagonist turning around. Depth of field was also used when  the character appears to be watched by the antagonist. A variety of camera techniques have been used for the enjoyment of the target audience.

Secondly, the next micro area we will be looking at is Mise en scene. One of the props he used was a cigarette which the character was smoking at the beginning of the extract. This portrays an understanding of the setting which gives nothing to suggest that the events that occurred were going to happen, this entices the audience. However, the close up of the tip of the cigarette wasn't very clear, which was followed by a plain cream background shot which also was not very understanding. Another prop used during this opening sequence was the knife, this is shown as he approaches the protagonist from behind, and although we do not see him stabbing him, we can tell from the movement of his arm that he is dead. This clearly shows that it is a thriller not a horror, as stereotypically there would be blood and gore involved. Although this scene was very good, it would of brought more realism to the extract if the antagonist's weapon was more than just a bread knife.

The third micro area is sound. Throughout this whole extract there is non-diegetic sound which keeps the audience curious during the whole opening sequence. There is also diegetic sounds on top of this non-diegetic music. At the beginning of this clip, we can hear the TV for a few seconds, we then hear the lighter when the protagonist lights his cigarette. These small diegetic ambient sounds adds to the realism in the room. This opening sequence was aimed to be a psychological thriller, however it does not portray many explicit psychological thriller conventions, more so we can recognise there are crime thriller conventions used.

Lastly, we will be looking at editing. The whole opening sequence is continuity editing which means the following shot flows well with the previous shot. Short shot duration is also used throughout the opening sequence. A lot of emphasis has been created around what the main character is doing during an ordinary evening. There are transitions such as cuts to the main character smoking a cigarette to an extreme close up of the tip of the cigarette. Editing techniques such as eye line match and match on action has been used when the character answers the front door. He used a match on action shot when he opened the door to see who had knocked. As he walked out and left the door open, he filmed the latch on the door straight after. This shows that the door had not shut properly, which also creates suspense for the audience.

This student used the four micro areas near enough to the best of his ability. The flow of continuity throughout the whole extract flowed well, and the acting and filming techniques were very good. If I were to grade this student on his two minute opening sequence he would receive an A grade.

Past Student Work Analysis 1

I analysed "A Stranger Knocks" created by students from Windsor Boys School which was a Psychological thriller. They used all 4 Micro areas in order to create the sequence which was 2 minutes long.

The first area i will be looking at is Mise en scene, they used a PlayStation as one of their props to give the audience a normality feel to the scene where a few boys are spending time together. They have also used very casual clothing to emphasis the stereotypical teenage look. With this representation we can also relate the setting of the sequence as a stereotypical teenage boys bedroom. Some props they have used to portray this look would be weights, speakers and colour scheme of the room. The high key lighting in the bedroom is again used to create the casual feel, but also so we can see the facial expressions, as the sequence continues and the boys walk down stairs the low key lighting becomes darker to create suspense.

Secondly we analysed Camera work, the boys used a variety of camera techniques to create meaning to their sequence. The tracking shot used both times that the character/characters walked down the stairs to the knock created suspense, and as the audience we feel slightly scared as to who the stranger is that knocks. They used a zoom effectively once they were at the bottom of the stairs as they zoom in onto the small transparent window at the top of the door, this again makes the audience question whether we are going to find out who the "Stranger" is. A match on action is used when the character opens the door too see who knocked on the door, which created enigma again as to who the stranger is.

The boys used different sounds and music for different scenes of the clip. Again, the sound of the mobile phone going off gave that normality feel to the sequence, stereotyping teenage boys. The sound they used for the knock was very clear, emphasised and used at the right time. The music they created and incorporated into their sequence was parallel at all the right times therefore helped to created tension and thrill.

Like most opening sequences they stuck to very few different settings keeping the clip simple and continuity of the clip clear. During the process of editing within their clip they used a technique to blur the vision of the character as he walked down the stairs, this increases the suspicion added to the conventions of a sub genre.

The Mise en scene didn't create enough suspense and didn't emphasis the sub genre of their thriller.They didn't use any type of costume or make up to portray any phsychogical thriller convention traits, and the setting they decided to use didn't have me sitting on the edge of my seat.

To develop this sequence more they could have improved the quality of their filimg, for example when they zoomed in on the small window at the top of the door, they didn keep the camera focused on the window they let a dark wall come into focus which was innapropriate. Secondly they could have increased the variety of their camera teckniques.

From the sequence we can clearly see that the group tried to use high key lighting in the bedroom scene and low key lighting in the scene down the stairs, however when trying to use the low key lighting they didn't handle it professionally and made it so dark that we couldn't see the faceial expresions.

I don't think they used their four micro areas to the best of their ability, and didn't put much thought and effort into the costume, make up, location and lighting to overcome this. Due to this if i was to grade this group they would recieve a D.

BBFC 'British Board of Film Classification'

BBFC is the 'British Board of Film Classification'. This stops children from watching inappropriate scenes within films or videos. Before a film or video is released BBFC check to the content and rate it by what is in movie. They decide this by looking into issues such as sex, horror, language, nudity, drugs etc.

U stands for Universal. U films are suitable for audiences aged 4 years and above. U films should not include scenes such as drugs, violence, sex, horror, nudity, bad language etc. The only language that would be heard in a U film would be "hell" or "damn" it would be very mild language not very often. Kissing and cuddling would be the only sexual content seen in a U film. There may also be very brief fighting scenes or situations where characters are put in danger. However, this would not last long as it would be quickly resolved and the outcome will be reassuring.

PG stands for parental guidance.This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Smoking and drinking should not be promoted but if it is, it should be recognisable that it is bad and harmful. Mild language may be heard. No detailed sex scenes or violent scenes is appropriate for a PG.

The 12A and 12 symbols mean that anyone aged 12 or over can see the film unaccompanied. However, if you are under the age of 12 you must be accompanied by an adult. The 'A' stand for accompanied. The difference between a 12A and 12 is that 12A is for cinemas only and 12 is for videos and DVDs at home. Bad language may be used in a 12A certificate film, but it must be infrequent. Violence may be seen in some scenes but it must not be detailed. Some horror films are passed at 12A. 

The 15 symbol means that the film is not suitable for any children under the age of 15. No theme is prohibited, provided it is appropriate for 15 year olds. A 15 certificate may include strong violence, nudity, sex scenes, drug taking, frequent bad/strong language.

Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under the age of 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or rent a video/DVD. An 18 is not suitable for children. No theme is prohibited at all. Very obvious sex scenes and violence scenes can be shown frequent throughout the film.

Opening Sequence 9 Shot Analysis 2

We are introduced to the character type with 6 male characters sitting around a table, and in another scene of them walking in a group. We are then introuduced to the theme tune after 8 seconds of the opening sequence, along with the directors name. We recognise the location and place by a wide shot of the cafe, which fades to black this is when the theme tune is introduced, the next scene we see is a long shot of the street containing the 6 main male charcaters. In our 9 shot sequence we priorities the main characters, but we also see the directors name, the title of the film and some on the characters names. The enigma that is created in this opening sequence is the guy who we dont regonise covered in blood towards the end of the clip.

The costumes shows the audience a lot about the characters, they are smartly dressed in suits which indicates that they are part of a police force or part of the gang culture, the costume and props such as guns, money, blacked out suits and glasses are all used to portray this, this is stereotypical for a Crime Triller as we associate all these elements with crime.

The close up of each individual male characters shows the facial expresions and body language of each of them, in this close up we see the blacked out glasses and the serious face expressions, the long shot of the characters walking down in a group again indicates the culture of these characters, and are associated with gangs.

Short shot duration is used during the clip when introducing each of the characters, this helps the audience to recognise these as the main characters, and what their role is, other that that one occasion the rest of the clip uses long shot duration to establish the scenes, and the action that is going on. A fade to black is used to show the audience that there is a change in scene or location, within Reserveoir Dogs this occurs when it switches from the cafe scene, to the scene where the characters are walking down the street.

At the beginning of the clip we hear dialougue from the main character talking about money, this adds realism and we begin to imagine what their job role is. The next sound we recognise is fast pace music which is parallel to the action within the clip, which helps us to further identify their job role.

Finally, the last area which establishes the genre of this clip is the typography used within the text. crime thrillers are tend to work around font types which would be classified as masculine and bold. from Reservoir Dogs we can clearly see that this is also the case. The text showing the characters name is placed more towards the left of the page, the black background with the orange bold writing again is stereotypical for this type of Thriller, as it stands out and aims itself more towards the male gender, the oher text we see is the directors, names etc these are placed in the centre of the screen, using the same colours black and orange. "Reservoir Dogs" is again placed in the centre of the screen, using the background of the main characters.

Opening Sequence 9 Shot 'The Silence of the Lambs'

We are first introduced into location of place which is in a dark eery forest, this is also one of the opening sequence conventions which are to be expected in opening sequences of thrillers. The main characters name is soon followed with the same background establishing shot. After, the Title appears in a large black text through the middle of the screen, it's called 'Silence Of The Lambs' which is a crime thriller movie.

 We are first introduced to the main character from a high angle looking down on the girl, this makes her seem like she doesn't have a lot of power, there is also tracking following her running through the forest which is quite mysterious and follows the generic opening sequence conventions as it makes the audience ask questions about what she is doing. We later establish that she is in fact doing some kind of assault course which is counter typical for a young blonde female character. She is dressed in a baggy jumper with running trousers and trainers and whilst in the assault course has to climb and overcome a large obstacle which then portrays her as a young, strong character.

When the second character comes into the scene the 180º rule is used when they are having a conversation. Soon after there is a long shot of the large army camp. When the female character enters the camp we can see guns and weapons to confirm that its something to do with the military, there is a pan of her walking through a busy work place followed by a medium shot of her in the middle of a lift surrounded by men. This leaves the audience questioning why she is the only girl and the rest are men...is she different? What's so special about her?

From the beginning of the clip there was dull mysterious music engaging the audience which then turned lighter and started to fade out. There was diegetic noises such as crunching wood when the female character was running and also diegetic sounds from within the busy building. When there was dialogue between the female character and the male character we could see that he was in charge and had power over her from the tone in his voice.

From the previous elements mentioned they were all to be expected from opening sequence thriller conventions which we will be using when creating our opening sequence.

Opening Sequence Timeline Analysis For "PANIC ROOM"