Final film Opening

Final film opening

Here is the entirety of our final film opening

Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your pre-lim task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

As I state in the above biteable presentation I believe that this is a far greater attempt at filming compared to the prelim task that I did. One of the reason I believe that this film went much better than the prelim was that we had less group members to argue with. What I mean by this is that when we first filmed our prelim two members of our group weren't focused when filming which lead to the entire group losing focus which could be seen as we our prelim was much shorter compared to other groups prelim as we had to re film most shots at the last minute. Because of this when the two members of our group left me and Callum focus much more on making the film which lead to a far better film being produced.

Prelim

Final film

Furthermore, one of the most notable things about my new film is the improved quality of the acting and the music in the background. Firstly, the acting has improved greatly since the prelim this can mainly be seen through the callum. In the prelim picture Callum's walking looks unnatural as if his arms are fixated to sides because they barely move when he walks making his movement            look lifeless and robotic. Now looking at Callum in the picture from the final film he looks his movement looks a lot more natural compared to the prelim his arms move more fluently when he walks making him look more realistic. Furthermore, Callum in the final film is playing a much more serious role (spy) than in the prelim film (college student) which can be seen in the way that he acts because he moves slower keeping his head down trying to look smaller so he would be harder to see.

In addition, I also mention in the biteable presentation that the video quality has improved and what I mean by this is that I spent far more time editing to make the quality of the film better by adding more smooth transitions between each shot (cross dissolves, fade in/out). Another thing that I also did was use colour correction to make the scenes brighter/darker to make the location seem more sinister and The Infiltrator isolated as if the darkness around him is getting closer and closer.

Evaluation Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

When I started creating my film opening I had very little knowledge using editing software like  IMovie and Final Cut Pro as they were very complex compared to the software I'd used in the past. However overtime I learnt different techniques when using them for example in Final Cut Pro I learnt how to separate parts of the audio to balance the audio better which was one of the targets when I made my Prelim task.

Colour correction tool

Also, one of the most important techniques I learnt was when I was using audacity were I found out how to give voices a static effect making them sound like they were talking over a radio. This allowed me to make the voice of The Observer sound more professional as he never appears in the film but is always talking to The Infiltrator through an earpiece. Also, another important editing technique that I used was the colour correction tool as it allowed me to make scenes darker, brighter and add colour filters to make scenes more effective. This can be seen throughout the film I have made the shots darker and added a blue filter to make the main character look more isolated from everyone else. This was done to reflect his situation as he a hostile location where he will have no backup.

When we were filming the type of camera that we used was a HXR-NX5R which is similar to cameras that are used by large film studios when filming. Whats good about using this camera is that it has a built in microphone so that it can clearly pick up any voices and background noises so that they sound very clear. However this does also mean that almost any background sounds will be picked up and some of them may not be wanted. Another benefit about using the camera is that it has a built in touch screen to navigate around the camera so that we could quickly and efficiently view the shots that we had just taking and easily delete them if we had to re shoot

The camera also allowed filming to be done in HD quality meaning the footage looked clear even when filming from afar this was good as it meant even the smallest of details in each shot looked as detailed as if they being zoomed in on. And speaking of zoom the camera had a zoom function that could be toggled to make the zoom faster and slower this was useful when we were filming as I could track callum from a distance by zooming on him instead of getting up to follow him which may of made the footage look shaky.

When me and Callum were in the same shot together we used a tripod to place the camera on so that we could set up the recording in advance and film with both of us in the scene at the same time. What was also good about the tripod was that it allowed us to pan the camera to so that it could follow the characters when they were going around a corridor or walking around a room without moving the camera with our hand which could also cause shaky footage. Also, the legs on the tripod could have their heights adjusted which was useful when filming so that the camera would be on equal level to the characters in the shot.

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

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Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

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Evaluation Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

As you can see in the above biteable video the two institutions that we choose to distribute our film are both located in America however this however you may notice that our film is produced in Britain which can be seen as all the actors in the film our british. Because of this our is a British and American co production (a conglomerate) the benefits of this would be that our film would get distributed globally faster than if we were on our own.  Also, other co produced films between America and England have also been very successful an example of this would be Skyfall (2012) which made $1.109 billion  and the Harry Potter film franchise which has made $8,533,417,386 altogether. This tells me that my film has potential of being a worldwide blockbuster.

The two institutions that I have chosen (Sony pictures and Lions Gate) have both made very successful films. Firstly Sony pictures has made The Amazing Spider man 1 & 2 which made $464,884,596 world wide and Lions gate has made the Hunger games series which has made $1,451,538,526 worldwide. This tells me that Lions Gate has made far more money with their film franchise compared to Sony pictures, because of this I believe that my film may be more successful if I chose to have Lions Gate distribute my film. My film would be released in IMAX but no 3D this is because IMAX will make my film look much higher quality which will make it more enjoyable for my audience. On the other hand the reason that i'm not using 3D is because aside from the P.O.V shots in my film their isn't any clips that would make my film look much better in 3D.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups


When viewing my groups film opening you may notice that the characters within the film either conform or subvert with stereotypes that the characters are based on. One of the issues when filming was that as half of our group left we were the only ones left to film, edit and act because of this we feared that their would be a lack of diverse characters (ethnicity, gender, etc) in our film and we tried to work around this by adding characters who are never seen (The Observer) which I then edited their voices to make them sound more different compared to other characters.

One of the theories that I used was Levi Strauss's Binary opposite theory. This was because I wanted the audience to identify the hero and the villain of the film easily which is why I tried to make The Hunter the exact opposite of The Infiltrator. This can be seen as The Hunter shown to be mysterious and sinister as his face is hidden and can appear to be anywhere he wants to be making him seem to be very powerful. On the other hand we see The Infiltrator the silent spy who wears dark coloured clothes allowing him to sneak around without being noticed this suggests he's a professional at what he does. He also, at the end of the film charges at The Hunter showing us that he doesn't fear getting killed making him look brave and fearless which shows the audience that he is the hero.

Firstly the Callum's role as The Infiltrator takes inspiration from the hero role which means he is shown as being strong, brave and fearless another popular spy genre character who fits this role is James Bond from the James Bond films. This can be scene throughout the opening he shows that he can overcome the obstacles in his way such as hiding from The Hunter when he is tricked into activating the alarm showing that he never panics even when the odds are against him. However I didn't want him to be an exact copy of the hero stereotype which would show him as being far more powerful than all the other characters making the villains not seem lie a threat to him.

One of the ways that I made him subvert from this was adding scenes to make him seem weaker and more like a real person. These were when he questions if The Hunter is someone he knows only to be informed that that person died long ago where he sadly replies making us sympathize with him. The other scene were I made him look weaker is the ending when he is shot by The Hunter and his fate is left unknown this was done to show the audience that The Infiltrator is still human and not some unstoppable force which was also to make him look weaker and more realistic as getting shot would stop most people in their tracks.

The Observer who was voiced by Luke shows traits of the helper role as throughout the opening however one of the main things about him is that we know nothing about him it except his gender this was done to make him have a more mysterious vibe coming from him as he is aware of what is going on around him directing The Infiltrator to the USB sticks location but is still confused by the alarm catching him off guard.

In contrast, the character played by Luke The Hunter definitely conforms with the role of stereotypical villain. This is because he wears a hoodie hiding his face making him seem more mysterious as his identity is unknown. He also when he first appears catches The Infiltrator off guard showing him as more stronger than the hero of the film.

When creating the characters I took inspiration from other spy films such as Skyfall (2011) and Casino Royale (2006) as they were two very successful action/stealth films so I took inspiration from some of the camera angles from the films opening to make my film look more dramatic. One of the biggest inspirations from my film was the Metal Gear Solid video game series mainly the characters interactions with each other as I based The Infiltrator and The Observer on the characters Solid Snake and Otacon  who helps guide snake throughout facility when they meet each other. The Hunter also shares takes some inspiration from the villains seen in the Metal Gear Solid games as they are usually spies, mercenaries who have special abilities which can be seen through The Hunter as he can seemingly appear out of nowhere which is an ability the character Psycho Mantis does in the games.

Evaluation Question 1

In what way does your media products use, develop or challenge forms & conventions of real media products

Comparing my film to other professionally made spy films I believe that my film conforms with many of their conventions. Firstly, the story in many spy films usually start with the agent already on a mission which we find out about as the opening progresses. This can be seen in my film as well as The Infiltrator has already started his mission when the films starts however my film explains his mission all in one go, this is seen in my film when The Observer first talks to The Infiltrator, unlike other spy films were we find out what the protagonists task is while they are doing it. For example, if an agents task is to retrieve information we the audience would find this out when the agent actually collects the information.

However one thing that I did to challenge the conventions of real spy films was that I have the protagonist of the film presumably killed by the antagonist this makes the audience wonder what is going to happen next as they believe that the films hero is dead making them wonder if this is the films ending being shown to use and the film is going to explain how we got here or if that character really wasn't the films protagonist and that it's going to be someone who wishes to avenge him. This is not seen in many spy films with an being the opening of Skyfall (2011) as James Bond is shot by a sniper on a train and the opening credits show him falling into the river below.

The Hunter

Also, some of the characters in the film opening conform with character roles created by Propp's. This can be seen with the character The Observer who conforms with the character archetype  of the dispatcher and the helper. This is because throughout the film he helps the hero by telling him the location of the intel and how he should get to it. This conforms to the archetype as the helper./dispatcher is always their to assist the hero no matter what situation they are in.
Another character that fits one of the character archetypes is The Hunter who conforms with the villain role. This is because he is mysterious, powerful and has a hatred towards the hero. He is also one of the few who matches the hero in power showing that they are equals

On the technical side of creating the film I took a lot of inspiration from many other spy film. This is because I wanted to see how they filmed to make certain shots effective. For example a low angle shot is commonly used to make characters look stronger however in the spy genre it can also be used to simulate someone looking up. While I didn't use a low angle shot I used a high angle shot when The Infiltrator is going up the stairs so that it looks like someone is looking down on him as he slowly starts climbing the stairs until he walks right pass the camera. Furthermore, I also used close up shots on when The Infiltrator is looking at things to emphasize the item making them look detailed. This can be seen when I use an over the shoulder shot of The Infiltrator holding the USB stick, while this isn't technically a close-up shot the shot is done to emphasize the USB stick so the audience realises that something's not right.

Over the shoulder shot

The music that we used is also conventional of the Spy genre. This can be seen as the first piece of music that we used is quiet but eerie creating suspense this was done to connote with the character he is sneaking around a building and if he is caught the results could be catastrophic (gets killed) so the music represents this feeling the next piece of music is used when The Infiltrator is cornered by The Hunter and just barely escapes with the music kicking in immediately. This was done to show that The Infiltrator is no longer safe he is being hunted down by a mysterious killer who could appear from anywhere and the music shows this by being loud and intense creating tension as it makes the audience wonder what is going to happen next.

One of the more noticeable things in my film is that in-between the two music tracks there is an ambient silence as The Infiltrator slowly looks up seeing a mysterious hooded man standing there and then an ominous sound plays as his face is revealed. This was done to make his first appearance more sinister as when the music cuts out the audience wonders what is going to happen next only for them to realise what is going on when they see the man standing there.

Film location storyboard

Film Storyboard

By using the website storyboardthat.com I created a storyboard for my film. However, when using storyboardthat.com I realised that I could only use the images already on the website which limited what I could do so some shots will look very different when we film the final piece.

Preproduction 3 Shot test

Shot Test

Long shot: This shot is used to show the characters entire body it can be used to show a characters entire costume and part of the scene. In the action genre it may be used to show a character who is far away which can be used to convey the theme of fear as they are so far away we don't know if they are good or bad.

Mid shot: Is used to show a characters upper body it may be used during conversations if the character is using their hands will talking such as trying to describe something. However it can be used to show of a characters costume as well. In the action genre this type of may be used to reveal a character for the first time as we get a close look on the detail of their costume.

Close-up: This type of shot is used to show the characters face, usually, the facial expressions of the character. It's used to show show how the character is feeling throughout the film such as conversations. This is used in action films to show increase the tension in the scene which corresponds with the character emotions (if the character shows signs of fear it will make the audience worry)

Extreme Close-up: This type of shot is used to show a very close-up shot of a characters face usually only a specific part of it like the eyes. In an action film it can be used to show the characters eye dilating because of the character gets an adrenaline rush or is scared by something.

Over the shoulder: This type of shot is used to show us what the character can see from over their shoulder. This is normally seen during conversations so that it looks like we are right next to them talking. This is also what an over the shoulder shot is used for in an action film to show facial expressions of characters in a conversation scenes.

P.O.V: This type of shot is also called a Point Of View shot and just like its name it involves the camera showing us what the character is seeing at that time putting us in their shoes. This type of shot is used in action films to create suspense as we are seeing what the character is seeing. so if the character is hiding from someone it will create tension as we wonder if he will get caught

Low angle: This type of shot is used to make characters have a higher level of power compared to other characters in the scene by having the camera film them from a lower angle than normal. This is used a lot in the action genre as it can be used to make the protagonist and antagonist look more powerful than the other characters in the scene.

High angle:This shot is the opposite to the low angle shot as it is used to make characters look weaker by having the camera look down on the characters. This is seen in action films when the hero meets the villain as a high angle shot will be used on the hero to make them look intimidated.

Mid long shot: This type of shot is in between a long shot and a mid shot and like those shots it's normally used to reveal a character for the first time. Because they are similar to mid and long shots they are also seen in the action genre

Questionnaire Presentation

Preproduction 2 Script

Film Script

Roles:

The Infiltrator: Callum Whalley

The Observer: Luke Hamerton (Face not seen)

The Hunter: Luke Hamerton

FADE IN

INT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY

An Agent only known as The Infiltrator is tasked with invading a building in search of some secret Intel.

CUTS TO SCENE

INT. INSIDE BUILDING CORRIDOR 1 – DAY

The Infiltrator is sneaking through the Building hiding in a dark corridor where he activates his earpiece and a voice begins to talk to him.

THE OBSERVER
Ok Infiltrator what’s the situation down there?

THE INFILTRATOR
Perfect. The guards have no clue that I’m here, what now?

THE OBSERVER
Looking at the information that was leaked to us the Intel should be on a USB stick in a room on the top floor should be a piece of cake.

THE INFILTRATOR
Wait… you mean it’s not guarded? Isn’t that a little bit strange to you?

THE OBSERVER
Yeah that’s what I thought so I hacked into the security system and accessed the cameras on that floor and guess what? Its empty so be on your guard.

THE INFILTRATOR
Gotcha

The Infiltrator gets out of the corridor and sneaks and approaches the stairs to get to the next floor however while this is happening a mysterious man enters the building

INT. INSIDE BUILDING INTEL ROOM - DAY

THE OBSERVER
All right Infiltrator the Intel should be in the room right next to you

The Infiltrator opens the door and sees a USB stick on a table. He then walks towards it and picks it up when suddenly an alarm sounds.

THE INFILTRATOR
What the hell! Hey what’s going on?

THE OBSERVER
I don’t know I didn’t see any trip wires and the cameras would have picked up any hidden lasers… Wait a minute Infiltrator look at the USB you picked up.

The Infiltrator looks at the USB and notices a small button on the side of it.

THE INFILTRATOR
(Angrily) Damn it they tricked us!

THE OBSERVER
That doesn’t matter now get the hell out of there!

The Infiltrator turns to see a person standing there

THE HUNTER
Going somewhere?

The Hunter throws a punch towards The Infiltrator but he swiftly dodges and pushes him back and runs past him with The Hunter getting back up beginning to chase him. The hunt begins

INT. INSIDE BUILDING CORRIDOR 2 – DAY

The Hunter is in pursuit of The Infiltrator; The Infiltrator is using everything he can to slow him down by shutting doors changing his direction and trying to hide. He then goes down a dark corridor and contacts The Observer

THE INFILTRATOR
Hey Observer who is that?

THE OBSERVER
I don’t know from the looks of him he’s not your everyday security guard

THE INFILTRATOR
Whoever he is he’s pretty good I didn’t even hear him enter the room.

THE OBSERVER
Yeah well he’s trying to kill you so complimenting him is going to help you out. Look you’ve already got the Intel so your goal is to escape the building without getting caught good luck.

THE INFILTRATOR
He seems to know me do you think it's... him?

THE OBSERVER
No it's not impossible don't you remember that mission was a failure their were no survivors

THE INFILTRATOR
(Slightly sad) yeah your right it was...

The Infiltrator walks out of the corridor and makes a break for the stairs but as he when he gets half way down them The Hunter appears and begins to chase him. Around the building and whenever he gets close The Hunter tries to grab The Infiltrator in an attempt to knock him out however The Infiltrator always gets away.

INT. INSIDE BUILDING CORRIDOR 3 – DAY 

The Infiltrator is running for the exit but The Hunter blocks the exit

THE HUNTER
Did you really expect you’d escape?

THE INFILTRATOR
You, Who the hell are you!?

THE HUNTER
My name is irrelevant, All that matters is you die here like your friend!

In a blind rage The Infiltrator runs towards The Hunter only for him to reach into his pocket for a weapon

CUT TO BLACK

A Gun shot is heard

THE OBSERVER
Hey Infiltrator whats going on respond...Infiltrator do you hear me? Damn it!

Preproduction 1 Location Recce

Location Recce

Before we start filming I went to the film location and took photo's of the area so I could see what I can use to improve our film.

Corridors

When I went to the location I discovered that there were many different corridors all around the building. This will be beneficial to our film because it will give us a larger area to film the chase sequence.

Furthermore, Some of the corridors lead to a dead end or a locked door. We could use this areas as places for The Infiltrator to hide from The Hunter during the chase sequence and also when he is communicating with The Observer.

Also the corridors which have loads of turns can be used to create suspense as The Hunter could be hiding behind one of the corners preparing to attack The Infiltrator.

Stairs

Another thing that I discovered about the location is that the stairs within the building can be used to create very interesting camera shots such as the second photo which shows what a low angle shot from the top of the stairs looks like.

Also, Similar to what I said about the corridors they lead to many places around the film location this means that I can use them to make the chase scene go around the whole building which will help make my chase scene longer.

In addition, this set of stairs has a small part by the door in the photo that could also be used by The Infiltrator to hide from The Hunter and when he talks to The Observer.

Font research

Font research

As part of our film research i'm going to find several different fonts that can be used in a film opening and discuss which one I think will be the most useful.

1. Stand by action

What I like about this font is how is how the big and bold writing makes it stands out. This will be perfect for catching the audiences attention when they are watching my film opening.

2. Action Force Normal

Similar to the previous font it is big and bold so it will be easy to read. However, whats different is that the style of the font makes it look like it's from a computer screen which is commonly seen in modern action films such as the some of the new James bond films like Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2016)

3.Agency FB

This is a good font because while its thinner than the other fonts all letters can be upper and lower case. This is useful because I could use the upper case font for character names and the films title and the lower case font for small text for minor roles such as the behind the scenes crew names.

4.Metal Gear

What I like about this font is the style of it making it look like its is from a computer similar to the Action force font I talked about earlier. but it's much thicker so it easier to read. However because of the style of the font it may be hard for some people to read so I may only use this font for the title of my film and another one for the rest of the writing.

5 Johnny Fever

This font is based on retro action films which can be seen through the bold style of the font which was used a lot back then for film titles so I may use this font for the film title as while not common it's still used to this day.

6. Megatron

Similar to the Johnny Fever font this font is based on the Retro Transformers TV show title. However, it is also used for names and things in the title sequence (character roles). Also, the fonts style looks robotic and futuristic (fits the shows theme) so I may use it in my film opening as it resembles some machine like fonts that are now used today.

7. Hauser

This font is a lot like the Action Force Normal font as both are bold and thick. However, the difference is that Hauser is not tilted and is instead straight which may make it easier for some people to read.

8. Impact

The impact font is thick and bold like most of the other fonts I already mentioned . However whats different is that all the letters are really close to each other so this makes them stand out more compared to other fonts so it may be good for the films title.

9. Blade Runner

Like the name suggests this is the font for the action film Blade Runner (1982). What I like about this mod is that while it has its own style (the line through all the letters) it can still be easily read as it stands out because its in bold.

10. American Captain

The final font I may use is based on the title font in the Captain America films. Firstly, the letters are notably larger and thinner than the other fonts so they still stand out compared to the others.

Film opening analysis

Film opening analysis

For part of our blog I'm going to analyse several film opening of the same genre as ours and talk about how the opening is effective.

Opening 1

I've have chosen to analyse the opening to Casino Royale (2006) because it consists of a chase sequence which is something my group is going to try to implement into our opening.  Firstly, the sound in the extract is used to create suspense and tension through out the clip. This can be seen through the use of intense soundtrack which makes the scene more dramatic it's used to make the scene more effective for the audience as it makes them anxious about the protagonist as we don't know what is going to happen to them.

Another thing that is used to make the scene much more dramatic is the cinematography used as when James Bond starts to climb the crane lots more extreme long shots are used to show how high up he is which creates more tension as the audience wonders what is going to happen to the Protagonist as one false move could lead to James falling of the crane and getting killed, this makes the audience feel uneasy as they are unsure of what is going to happen to the protagonist. Also the editing throughout the clip is fast paced which makes it more suspenseful as everything is happening so fast so it engages the audience throughout the scene.

Overall, this is an exciting opening as it focuses on engaging the audience so that they will want to watch the rest of the film through the use of an intense soundtrack and camera/editing techniques to make the audience become sympathetic to the Protagonist as we don't know what is going to happen to him. If I were to choose something in the extract and use it in my groups opening I would choose the intense soundtrack as I personally believe that it was one of the most important parts of the scene.

Opening 2

I'm now going to look at a scene from another James Bond film (Skyfall 2012). Like the first clip I analysed a film that contains a chase scene as well however this one is a vehicle chase scene however I can still take inspirations for it in my film. The soundtrack in this scene is not as intense as the previous soundtrack however it has still been used to make the scene more effective so that the audience feel they are immersed in the film.

Also the editing in the clip is fast paced so that this is so that the audience are on the edge of their seats making the scene mush more intense. Also the clip cuts between the protagonist and the antagonist as the protagonist is chasing him. This has been done to make the scene more suspenseful as we see can see the facial expressions of both characters which so that we can tell how determined the are to catch/escape the other. This makes the audience feel uneasy as they wonder who is going to prevail in the chase. 

Overall, This is a good opening as it makes the scene feel exciting and thrilling, which is done through the use of an exciting soundtrack and fast paced editing so that the audience finds the scene exciting.  If I had to chose something to take inspiration from this scene I would choose the editing as it's used successfully in the clip making it more suspenseful. 

Opening 3

The Final opening that I'll be analyzing is from The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) when I was watching the opening I immediately heard the soundtrack which was silent at first but slowly builds as the police approach the protagonist and when they start to pursuit him the music reaches its peak. This make the scene much more intense and makes the audience feel the intensity. 

Also, the lighting in the extract is low key and has been used to make the scene look more dark and gritty. This helps create tension as it makes it harder to see the Protagonists pursuers which makes the audience feel uneasy as we don't know what is going to happen to the protagonist.

Also, Throughout the extract editing is used to create flashback sequences however the most notable thing is that the video becomes distorted and slows down. This has been used to make the flashback scenes more dream like so that when the audience watches the film they will be confused by it similar to how the Protagonist is confused.

After looking at all of the films I see a lot of similarities between them. All of them use their soundtracks to make scenes more intense and suspenseful so that the audience feels engaged and in some cases sympathetic towards the protagonist. The editing is faced paced as it makes the scenes look like they are going by fast which keeps the audiences on the edge of their seats. The camera in these openings mainly focuses on showing the facial expressions of the protagonist and other characters in the scene so that we can tell how they are feeling at that moment in time. Overall, I believe that he most important thing in these openings was the soundtrack as it helps make the openings much more intense. 

Institutional Research

Institutional Research

We have been tasked with researching studios that produce films of the same genre of the film we will be making so I researched companies that produce action films. However, when I was researching action studios I realized that almost every major film studio has done several action films so trying to research a single studio that only made action films became difficult finding a studio that specifically made action films so I will talk about the studios who produce lots of action films but don't mainly focus on them.

Firstly, I'll talk about Sony pictures they are a American entertainment company and one of Hollywood's major film studios and produce many films. Looking at the films they have produced I can see a lot of major Action films these include the X-men film series, The Amazing Spider man 1 and 2 and the Men in Black series and all of these were very successful and our beloved by many. What this tells me is that the studio has a great reputation as a majority of their are a huge success also while looking at the films they've produced I can't really see many recurring actors or directors accept for large film franchise like x-men so it only be normal to have the same actors in them. (such as Hugh Jackman who is known for playing Wolverine in the X-men series).

Another, popular film studio i'll talk about is Marvel studios who are known for turning their comic books into films which are very popular. A good thing to point out is that most of their films are part of the action genre and they so they contain similar conventions to my groups film opening. Also superhero film franchises will normally have recurring actors playing the same roles as fans will immediately recognize the actor in the film. This can be seen with actors such as Robert Downey Jr who is known for playing Tony Stark also known as Iron Man.

I have also been told to research the BBFC otherwise known as the British Board of Film Classification These are the people who give films age ratings depending on their content with their ratings ranging from U for universal (everyone can watch it) all the way to 18 (Restricted 18 is different to 18 because it's for films which contain pornography). I believe that my groups film opening would be in the 12A (12-Adult) section as we don't plan on using loads of bad language and a majority of the opening will be a chase sequence so there won't be loads of over the top action. However we have chosen 12A instead of 12 because we want our film to be enjoyed by a wide range of people which includes adults so we will include content (small fight sequences) which they will enjoy.

Character archetypes in the Action genre

Character Archetypes

In the Action genre a lot of characters are based on an archetype created by Propps. And are mainly associated with character roles such as the hero, damsel in distress, helper and the father figure. Another important thing is that the characters personality normally corresponds with the characters roles which can be seen in the list below.

Hero: brave, strong and fearless the hero always prevails by overcoming all obstacles to save the day. A good example of this is Superman from superman (1978) who in the his films always wins and stops the villain. And while stereo typically male there are a few examples of Female heroes for example Lara croft from the film Tomb Raider (2001).

Damsel in distress: Weak, powerless and must be saved by the hero a good example of this would be Marion from the film Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) who needs to be rescued by Indiana Jones.

Sidekick: A character who assists the hero in his journey to save the Damsel in distress. They are portrayed as weaker than the hero of the film however are shown to be very useful. A good example of a sidekick is Robin from the film Batman and Robin (1997) who assists Batman throughout the film.

Villain: Evil, cunning and devious the Villain is the polar opposite to the hero and plans to eradicate any one who stands in their way (usually the hero). A popular example of this is Darth Vader from Star Wars Episode IV a New Hope (1977) who threatens the galaxy for the glory of the empire.

Henchmen: The henchmen are the foot soldiers of the Villain and do whatever they say without hesitation. Normally they are portrayed as being idiots and are easily outmatched by the hero. A popular of a henchmen are Stormtroppers which are seen throughout the Star Wars franchise.

Father figure: The father figure is a person who the Hero looks up to and despite the name they have no biological relationship with the hero as in most action films the heroes parents have been killed or have already died prior to the film. An example of this is Alfred who is seen in many Batman films but most notably The Dark Knight (2008) where he assists Batman.

Chase scenes in the Action genre

Chase Scenes

In our film opening the main thing in it is going to be a chase scene so I have decided to research how they are used in the Action genre as a whole. A chase scene is when the protagonist is being chased by the antagonist (normally it's the antagonists henchmen as it shows the antagonist as being powerful as he has control over his minions). The reasons for they are pursing the protagonist is usually because he has an item that is key to the plot of the film. For example in the film National Treasures Book of secrets (2007) the protagonist is being chased because he has stolen the Book of secrets from a museum. While in the scene it's a car chase it shows lots of conventions that are found in foot chases.

(Skip to 0:31 for the chase)

As seen in the clip, Chase scenes use lots of fast paced editing with lots of cuts being used very quickly which shows the protagonist and then the antagonists immediately after to show the distant between them. This is used to create suspense as it makes the audience fear that the protagonist is going to be caught. Another example of a on foot chase scene can be seen in the film The Matrix (1999) in the climax of the film the protagonist is being chased by the main antagonist which makes the scene much more intense as the antagonist is personally chasing him instead of making his henchmen chase them. 

What makes this chase scene good is that we see a wide range of camera shots which are used to create suspense in scenes. For example when the protagonist is sprinting a hand held camera is used to follower but when it follows him it is very shaky this imitates the the we are trying to catch up to him by running to him. Also the position of the camera is at times is closed in on his face or its following him from behind. This is used to show his facial expressions so that we can see his emotions which helps convey the tension within the scene as he looks scared throughout which makes the audience nervous as it shows the protagonist in a weaker state than usual. And when the camera is behind him it shows that the protagonist is being chased and that the antagonist is catching up to them which makes it more suspenseful as while the protagonist doesn't know how close the antagonist is the audience does which makes it more suspenseful for the audience 

Another good thing in this clip is that one part of the chase is set in a building which is useful for my group as we are going to film our chase scene in a building so it will be useful to my group as we can see how shots are filmed and edited filming chase on stairs normally has the camera at the top the stairs its or it's follows right behind them.  

Codes and Conventions continued

Codes and Conventions

To continue my Codes and Conventions research I have made a list of some of the conventions that I have found the list can be viewed below.

• Intense and exciting soundtrack which creates suspense and tension in the scene
• Contain lots of explosions so that the viewers don't lose interest in the film (Whammo Theory)
• Weapons are usually firearms but can contain melee weapons 
• Can have a chase scene were the hero/heroine flees from the villains henchmen
• Costumes vary among film can range from casual clothing to army gear
• most have a basic narrative so it can be followed easily by a majority of viewers
• Characters conform to a specific archetypes such as Heroes being brave, powerful and fearless (Propps character theory)  
• Todorov's narrative theory suggests film starts with Disrupted equilibrium and the films plot involves restoring the equilibrium
• A variety of camera shots are used for different reasons (Close-ups to show emotion)
• The setting can range from a busy city to an exotic temple

Characters in the action genre are normally associated a theory created by Propp which states that all characters in the action genre are stereotyped as a certain role. For example the heroic protagonist in the action film will be based on the hero archetype meaning they are brave, strong and fearless where as the love interest of the hero will be a damsel in distress who is weak, pathetic and will always be saved by the hero. A lot of characters in the action genre fit with these archetypes such as Indiana Jones as a hero, Stormtroppers as henchmen and Alfred (The Dark Knight) who  is a helper and a father figure. However, characters that are too stereotypical are often criticised as they reinforce a negative stereotype. Because of this i'll make sure that while my characters do show traits of the stereotypes they are based on they are not a carbon copy of that stereotype (the hero may show signs of weakness in the film opening).