Evaluation

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How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social

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4/5

Audiences (AS Media work)

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Audience feedback results

Click for audience feedback results

Audience feedback questionnaire

link to feedback questionnaire

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1b5YWUzVVkrwznuPFhBX258jG1vidN-2a9RyAw-0JGQM/viewform

Final Film- Penance (YouTube Link)

Final Film- Penance (YouTube Link)

Supernatural Horror Film Research

Film Soundtrack Research

Film Soundtracks

 

 

Deadly Little Miho  - Sin City (Debney/Rodriguez):

This piece, composed by John Debney and Robert Rodriguez is clearly mean to instill a sense of panic in the scene. There doesn't seem to be much consistency in this piece, no real themes it seems mainly atmospheric. To begin with there seems to be a use of contrasting brass instruments playing the bass of the piece and strings playing a very high pitched melody over the top, this then turns into a crescendo creating a sense of sudden terror. The tempo of the piece then increases, it seems very sudden and quite jumpy and finishes very abruptly. This is very fitting with the scene and the style of film, nearly all the music composed for this film seems to follow a very specific and almost jazz-like style.

 

 

 

 

Sensemaya - Sin City (Revueltas):

This piece, although not composed by any of the main composers (Rodriguez, Debney and Revell) was also used in the film. I feel this is a particularly significant piece of music as it seems quite separate from the rest of the soundtrack, the director, Robert Rodriguez, has described this piece as having a major influence on the rest of the film score. This is very clear, however it seems much more old fashioned compared, there's a lack of the jazz feel the rest of the score has. However it does instill the same sense of panic and has a similar use of bass instruments, there also seems to be a similar use of dynamics and polyphony.

One reviewer has described it:

"The work begins with a slow trill in the bass clarinet as the percussion plays the sinuous, syncopated rhythm that drives the work. Soon a solo bassoon enters playing an eerie but rhythmic ostinato bassline. The tuba then enters playing the first of this work's two major themes, a muscular, ominous motif. Other brass join in to play the theme, growing louder and more emphatic, but rigorously yoked to the underlying rhythm. Eventually the horns blast as loudly as they can, with obsessive trills on the low clarinets far underneath, and the strings enter with the slashing second theme. The brass take up this new theme and bring it to a climax, after which the music returns to its opening texture. This recapitulation brings with it a mood of foreboding. The rhythm becomes even more obsessive, and finally the music reaches a massive climax during which both themes are played, overlapping, sometimes in part and sometimes in whole, by the entire orchestra in what sounds like a musical riot. The coda feels like the final dropping of a knife."

 

 

In the House, In a Heartbeat - 28 Days Later (John Murphy):

This is typically known as quite a famous and influential modern soundtrack, having being used in many films such as the sequel, 28 Weeks Later and Kick-Ass as well as being featured in many other television shows. It differs from the Sin City soundtrack as it sounds much more modern with the use of guitars. It, again, creates a very tense atmosphere- a sense of foreboding and tragedy and is very climatic. The song its self is quite simple and repetitive, the use of gradually adding in instruments makes it seem all the more dramatic, the dynamics quickly change from the simple, piano melody at the start to being quite a grand and loud piece. The ending crescendo ends very abrupty and the song finishes with a very eerie, high pitched string melody.

 

 

 

 

Lux Aeterna - Requiem For a Dream (Clint Mansell):

This piece is also a very well known soundtrack, and is used in many film trailers (e.g. Sunshine and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers). The piece is the signature soundtrack of the film Requiem for a Dream, which I think is quite contrasting, although it fits with the dramatic nature of the film it seems like more of a fitting soundtrack to a large action film- That said this piece works with the film very well, it seems to draw emphasis on the seriousness of the events in the film. It, like most of the other soundtracks I have researched so far starts very slowly and builds up to a large crescendo, with a very abrupt ending. Although, this song in particular seems to have more of a tragic, sadness to it than the others.

 

 

 

The use of previously composed classical music in films:

Many films make use of famous pieces previously composed to add atmosphere, there are many works very notable for being used in films.

Lacrimosa - Mozart:
Mozart's Lacrimosa is a very significant piece and it differs greatly to the more modern film compositions. It creates a strong sense of tragedy and is often used in films to represent sadness or death, the meaning of "Lacrimosa" literally being "To cry". It is an extremely dramatic and atmospheric piece of music, featuring a significant string arrangement and a choir- the string motif at the very beginning probably being the most significant part of the piece.








Piano Sonata No. 14 - Beethoven:
Most commonly known as "Moonlight Sonata" this is a very popular piece composed by Beethoven. Though technically it is known as a love song it seems to have a very tragic and sad edge to it, meaning it is often used in films to instill a sense of sadness. For example, it was used in the 2011 horror film "Seconds Apart" creating an eerie and tragic atmosphere. This use of repetition also creates a sense of emptiness and foreboding. Unlike the previous pieces, there seems to be less of a use of dynamics, there certainly is some change in volume, but very little, it relies simply on the melody to create the atmosphere, it is also purely on the piano, most films make use of an orchestra to create their soundtrack. Overall, I think the simplicity (E.g. the repetition) is what makes this piece so very atmospheric.

Overall I've noticed a pattern in soundtracks, many seem to use crescendos to create the sense of panic (Obviously a horror film would need this), many composers also seem to write their pieces in minor keys. This is very significant because minor keys are often used to create more eerie, saddening music- something also important in horror film scores.

 



Diary Entry

So far I've:

• Research into the Target Audience for our film.
• Researched certain film clips relating to our film.
• Researched and found reviews and film websites of films that are similar to our own idea.
• An analysis of the first 15 minutes of the film The Shining.
• Found a potential distributor of our film.
• Done research into opening credits of certain films that may be similar to our film.

I plan to start research into film soundtracks as well as adding information onto our film.

Questionaire

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DX_WfRod8WOEOEiURfHZAMtVcbzb1NlVAHp8zhsWhTY/viewform



This is the questionaire we created to give to people to fill out about our film idea.

Research into Title Sequences

Research into Title Sequences

'Sin City'

The opening to Sin City begins with the camera zooming out to reveal the scale of the city which then morphs into the title "Sin City".
The music also begins, starting with very atmospheric bass-heavy music.

This then cuts to images of the main characters in the film in a black and white "comic book" style, along with the names. This really gives the audience an idea of the sort of film, it makes it appear very dark, though not particularly realistic.


The title sequence then ends with information on the director and those working on the film, as well as the author of the graphic novels. The music finishes with a strong crescendo creating a sense of drama.




'The Shining'



This title sequence differs greatly to 'Sin City' as it's very minimal, it the opening serves as part of the film rather than just information on the screen. The music, Hector Berlioz’ “Dies Irae”, often used in horror films is very repetitive and creates a strong sense of foreboding.

The titles that come along with this scene are very simple, scrolling titles, that purely state the director, title and main actors in the film. It's very simple but also quite effective.





The credits finish with a wide shot of the isolated hotel, which is where most of the film is set. It gives the audience an insight into where the film is set, although it doesn't look particularly eerie it seems very desolate and the music, again, creates a sense of foreboding.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Name:

Gender: M/F

Occupation:

What do you think of the storyline for our film?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you got any suggestions?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What genre do you think our story is?

_______________________________

Where would you expect to view it? (eg. Cinema, DVD, TV, Netflix)

_______________________________

What certificate do you think it would be? (eg. U, PG, 12A, 12, 15, 18)

________________________________

Do you think the film would be more appealing to a wide audience or a smaller audience? Why do you think this?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Would you go and see this film? Why?

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Potential Distributor

Maxim Media

Maxim Media International is the largest world-wide distributor of independent horror and shock films. Our library of indie horror, thriller, paranormal, and reality/shock films is unparalleled in size -- and always growing! Founded in 2000 by industry veteran Darrin Ramage, we have grown to represent a library of over 300 films. Through our horror film distribution channels we're able to reach the global entertainment market and have licensed film rights to nearly all major territories.

Though we distribute films in nearly all formats and territories, our key strengths remain North American DVD release and worldwide Video on Demand (VoD).

(Taken from http://emaximmedia.com/)

This may be an appropriate distributor for our films as they specialise in all types of horror films and they distribute worldwide.

Analysis of The Shining

Horror film reviews/film websites

Film Reviews:

Rec: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=135508

Nosferatu: http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/10/26/nosferatu_1922_review.shtml

The Phantom of the Opera: http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Phantom-of-the-Opera-795.html

Dracula: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=15026

Carrie: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=132787

Audition: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=6662

Zodiac: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=11066

Sin City: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?DVDID=10762

Film Websites:

Rec: http://www.rec2themovie.com/

The Phantom of the Opera: http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/

Sin City: http://www.adamwood.co.nz/sincity/

Film Clips

A selection of horror film clips

Rec - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeaUokzE9fI

Nosferatu - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-DrKgjit4I

The Phantom of the Opera - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa3bHKWZoJg

Dracula - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nfmh178L98

Carrie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJe0iVo8y3A

Audition - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR1DnkweK5U

Zodiac - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEvnwKFUnI0

Sin City - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKFLrTYKIXk

Target Audience

Target audience -

Due to the research we have done on recent horror films, many horror films tend to appeal to a more teenage audience. I think our film would be much more suited to a teenage audience and would gain more publicity if marketed towards teenagers. It would make sense for our film to have a 15 certificate, due to the nature of it being quite frightening it wouldn't be appropriate for younger children but there's nothing that would warrant it needing an older certificate. It could also appeal to young adults, I feel the main audience would be quite young as more recent horror films seem to be marketed towards and are most popular with a younger audience.

Individual Film Idea - Shannon

Film idea.

·      A car rattles down the middle of an old country road, inside are five teenage girls of a similar age

·      From the dark outside, they hear the sounds of groaning, and hurriedly try to restart the car

·      The car will not restart, the girls panic.

·      They finally find refuge in a military base but they find everyone dead.

·      The girls hear groaning again- loud and panic, the film ends.