Star Theory

Star theory
Star theory is a theory that a star is an image created on an image and is not a real person, they are shown to be someone else who will be a better image for an institution to make money, they show this by advertising, magazines and music videos.
Lots of institutions give their star a unique selling point which makes their star stand out form others that are out there.

Thriller Comparisons

Thriller comparisons

The DaVinci code (Ron Howard) The opening sequence has slow music which builds up to a climax when the DaVinci code title comes into shot; the title has a blue tinge to it. There are also fast cuts showing a man running it goes from mid shot to long shot as the camera tracks him while he is running through the shadows. There is also a long shot showing a man stalking the man who is running it is in the shadows so the identity of the man is a mystery which builds suspense for the audience. Whilst they are running past the camera there are what look like distressed paintings which matches the feelings of the man running past the painting. We are then introduced to the villain after we see a close up of a gun which then moves to his face as he removes his mask. We then see the man take the shot from a low angle and we also see the man on the floor looking up at the gun.

 

Silence of the lambs (Jonathan Demme) At the start of silence of the lambs there is a long shot of a woman coming over a hill which gradually moves into a mid-shot. There is low music in the background coming from string instruments. The lady is running and the audience don’t know why there is a slight emphasis on the woman’s breathing which makes me feel as though she has something on her mind that is making her more tired than usual. We then see a establishing shot of a dull grey big building which tells me that this place or scene will be negative because of the connotations that go with the colour grey. We then see the woman creeping round corners as if she is expecting something or someone to be on the other side of the corner but there isn’t anyone and then a blurry figure comes into the background as he starts to talk he comes into shot.

 

Strangers on a train (Alfred Hitchcock) The start has background music that is high pitch and stop start which builds tension. The first shot we see is the back of a man’s head it then moves to people talking in a room the man talking then drops his pipe in anger. The next part shows a man walking and being followed by a woman she then stops and talks to someone and then after that we see a shadow of a man in a hat at the top of a stairwell in the distance, It then gets built up with the music.

 

Eyes wide shut (Stanley Kubrick) Mid shot of a man with a long shot of a man following him, the music in the background is piano notes from both ends of the piano also the sound of footsteps is emphasised to show the pace that he is walking. The man then gets jumpy as he tries to get a taxi and gets more and more jumpy as he keeps getting rejected by those in the taxis.​

Similarity's/Differences

Has low music played with mostly string instruments which is similar to Silence of the lambs it builds suspense and then the climax to the music comes when the title appears on the screen.
The beginning shots of the characters running in both the DaVinci code and silence of the lambs are similar. But the difference is one is running from a stalker the other is running on assault course.


The DaVinci code is similar to the start of eyes wide shut because the opening scene shows the characters being stalked by another person in the opening sequence.
The differences to the 4 clips are that each clip has different instruments making the music at the start but it all sound or creates the same effect upon the audience that are watching.

Questionaire

Questionaire

Below is the link to my survey to find out what people expect and want from a thriller.
Please take the time to take it!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S3MRSGD

Auteur's Audience

Auteurs audience

The audience for my auteur Alfred Hitchcock is people who enjoy pschycologicaly thrillers which is people in the upper class or in the A or B section of the socio demographic model because these classes are people with qualifications and high status jobs which means that they can follow the story despite it being complex and pschycologicaly hard to follow. Hitchcock also uses clever camera movements and angles which keep the audience on the edge of their seats at all times he also uses clever dialogue around words like he does in blackmail where he uses a knife as the centre of the dialogue. His films are complex and so are not for those on the lower scales of the socio economic scale because they are less likely to be able to follow the story lines in Hitchcock’s films because their education is not as good as those on the higher scales. As a film innovator, Hitchcock showed us that diverse cinematic techniques could be transformed into a powerful storytelling language. Every montage in the movies or music videos reminds us how Hitchcock made frenetic editing mainstream

Auteur study (Alfred Hitchcock)

Auteur study

Alfred Hitchcock

He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres.

He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing. His stories often feature fugitives on the run from the law alongside "icy blonde" female characters. Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots featuring depictions of violence, murder, and crime. Many of the mysteries, however, are used as decoys or "MacGuffins" that serve the film's themes and the psychological examinations of the characters. Hitchcock's films also borrow many themes from psychoanalysis and feature strong sexual overtones. Through his cameo appearances in his own films, interviews, film trailers, and the television program Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he became a cultural icon.

Birds

There are countless images of birds in nearly all of Hitchcock's films. Some of the most prominent are listed below.

Psycho - The film begins in Phoenix, Arizona and a Phoenix is also a mythological bird. Marion's last name is "Crane." Norman practices taxidermy as a hobby and his favorites are birds. Norman describes Marion's eating behavior as "eats like a bird".Vertigo - Gavin's last name is Elster, which is German for Magpie.The Birds - The film's plot revolves around birds attacking Bodega Bay.To Catch a Thief - Hitchcock's cameo is that of a man on a bus holding a bird cage with a bird inside it.Sabotage - the front for the bomb maker is that of a bird seller and the instructions for the bomb are in the base of a bird cage.

 

Hitchcock preferred the use of suspense over the use of surprise in his films. In surprise, the director assaults the viewer with frightening things. In suspense, the director tells or shows things to the audience which the characters in the film do not know, and then artfully builds tension around what will happen when the characters finally learn the truth.

Mothers

Mothers are frequently depicted as intrusive and domineering, or at the very least, batty, as seen in Rope, Notorious, Strangers on a Train, North by Northwest, Psycho, Shadow of a Doubt, and The Birds.

Thriller Mind Map

Thriller mind map

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Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer’s moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and or terror. Thrillers tend to be adrenaline rushing.

 

Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only s/he recognizes. Film examples: Awake, Snake Eyes, The Da Vinci Code, Edge of Darkness

 

Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double-crosses. Film examples: Seven, No Country for Old Men, Silence of the Lambs

Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. Characters, either by accident or their own curiousness, are dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve. Characters are not reliant on physical strength to overcome their brutish enemies, but rather are reliant on their mental resources, whether it be by battling wits with a formidable opponent or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind. At times, the characters attempt solving, or are involved in, a mystery. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state.

 

Political thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him.

 

Erotic thriller: A type of thriller that has an emphasis on eroticism and where a sexual relationship plays an important role in the plot. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration.

Editing

Editing

Editing controls text progression, picture relationships, rhythmic relationships, time relationships and space relationships.

Editing should be analysed in 2 ways;

Speed

Style

Editing style;

Straight cut

Fade out

Dissolve

Wipe

Jump cut

Panning goes from one side to the other from left to right. A tilt goes up and down



What is a film?

A film is a series of moving images to form a story which can be both silent or have sound can be both short and long with the purpose to entertain and inform you of information. A film can have many genres from comedy to thriller. And can have varying budgets from small to multi millions.

What you need to do before starting your movie?

Secure funding

Get all the staff/cast

Script

Location and a set

Film equipment

Special effects

Advertisement

Director

Rehearsal

Film equipment

Camera angles

Lighting

Location

Timings

Type cast- as a certain character

Editing (picture/sound)

Promotion

Premiere

Sequel????

Make advert?

Sound and Cinematography

Sound

Today in media we learnt about sound in media clips and the way that they can make the audience feel whilst watching certain genres. For example we watched a clip about a man escaping after being caught under an avalanche with a broken leg and in the clip they emphasized his breathing to show his exhaustion with the position he is in and the exhaustion of having to climb out of the one and only whole that he can find. Also in the clip as he escapes from the hole a piece of music comes on showing that his journey has just begun to get out of trouble and that his journey will be a tough one, the music shows this by it being the sort of music that has connotations with quests like Lord of the rings. We also looked at 2 other clips they were from Last king of Scotland and Slum-dog millionaire.

Sound effects

Dialogue- All the words and c=vocal expressions of the actors

Cinematography

Cinematography

Close up, Long shot, Point of view, Birds eye view, Worms eye view, Mid shot, American shot, Can be a combination of different shots, Full shot and Crane shot.

Framing

Cameras distance from the subject and the camera angle in relation to the subject and the point of view

Distance

Extreme long shot, Long shot, Mid shot, Close up, Extreme close up

Angle

High angle, Low angle

Point of view, Objective, Rule of thirds

Key terms

Movement

Pan (whip pan)

Tilt

Dolly/Tracking shot

Zoom (in and out)

Crane

Steadicam/Handheld

(Aerial shot) Flying cam

 

Semiotics

Semiotics 10th of september 2012
​Semiotics are coded terms
for example today we were looking at newspapers and the way in which paralympians are represented throughout the paper. For example we saw stories based around the paralympics but mostly involved prince Harry watching them instead of actually seeing pictures of the paralympians involved in the games. Also we noticed that the times had a pretty blonde women which will sell more copies than what was on thesecond page of the newspaper which was male paralympians competing with obvious physical impairments. In the telegraph there was anchorage because the picture they used did not tie in with the article and paralympics pull out from the paper mostly pictures showing their disability. We also learnt that we live in a patriachal society which means that males make the decisions or they are the leader and matriachal society is a female leader or female decision maker.
Symbols
​We also learnt about symbols such as doves signify love which is an obvious relationship we also learnt about arbitrary signs such as bling, reem and dench these words carry certain meanings to a group of people.
I also learnt that polysemic is something that has many meanings or codes and that Mise en scene is french for everything in the scene for example;
setting, colours, charecters, make-up, movementand lighting.


Health and Safety Risk Assesment

 

Hazardous activity/situation	Who is at risk?	State what current precautions are observed
A bird flying into the window behind where I am filming in the house.	Everyone in the kitchen at the time because the panes of glass could spread across the room and harm some people	The glass could shatter and spread across the kitchen hitting all people that are being filmed in the kitchen
People standing at the top of the stairs could fall from the top when filming.	The one person who is being filmed from the top of the stairs.	They could fall if they stand too close to the edge of the stirs whilst filming
Person sitting in the car releasing the handbrake and starting to move the car down the hill	The one person who is being filmed in the car	They could cause a crash if they don’t know how to drive a car and which pedal does what.
Slipping on spilt drinks on the floor.	Everyone filming in the kitchen	One of the group may spill their drink and the floor could become slippery and could cause people damage if they slip up.
People falling down the steps on the street	The 2 people filming on the steps	They may trip or slip and fall down the steps
General issues whilst filming	All actors	I will monitor peoples behaviour and make sure that they are keeping themselves safe and other people around

LOW/ MEDIUM/ HIGH	State any further precautionary measures that you or the school should take to reduce the risk as far as is reasonably possible
Low because the likelihood of it happening is a very rare but I have to consider that it may happen because it is possible.	Make sure everyone is wearing shoes to prevent people from standing on the shattered glass and hurting their feet.
Medium because the person may lose his footing and fall down the stairs.	Make sure that the person holds on too the banister while he is being filmed
Low because the people in my video know what happens if they release the handbrake in the car.	Make sure to tell the person sat in the car not to touch the handbrake
Medium because people should keep their drinks away from the edge so that it reduces the risk.	Place the drinks away from the edge and from the group so that people do not accidentally knock them over and accidentally cause a slipping hazard for everyone else.
Medium because they may be concentrating on what they have to do and forget about where they are putting there feet at that time.	Make sure that they know how steep the steps are and that they make sure that they watch where there feet are going as they walk towards the steps.
Low	My actors will be old enough to know what they are doing when they are not being filmed.

Above is my health and safety risk assesment for my media production thriller i considered what could be a risk while i am filming and while other people are acting in my film. I have tried to consider all the possibilities that could happen because if i have them on here i know what i have to do if the risk becomes a reality.