Representation

The social group of our AS production was left open to interpretation from the audience, as the lone survivor could have been from any social background and his past is left in ambiguity. The effect this gave was that we were allowed to lead the character in any direction we wanted to, the character himself was not presented in a negative light, instead he was represented as enigmatic. He could be seen as a positive character in terms of his fighting off the zombies and knowledge of survival methods. 

Across other media products in the same genre, they utilise a large cast to show an interaction between survivors (The Walking Dead) and convey messages over morality, but in the case of our film our character was a lone survivor so the impressions the audience recieved were purely based upon his mise-en-scene. The category this film fits into is the zombie genre.

Finally the signs we used were the knife and the dead owl. The knife is a symbol for the violence and harm that now rules the digesis of this world, and combined with the dead owl we are given a different signified meaning of survival and that in order to survive death must occur. We can also see the ground to be wildly littered with leaves and unattended, this shows that the world has become abandoned and feral. Furthermore the close up shot signifies the intensity and haste in which the man must act because danger lurks everywhere.

Two Step Flow Theory

Katz and Lazarsfeld assumes a slightly more active audience. It suggests messages from the media move in two distinct ways. First, individuals who are opinion leaders, receive messages from the media and pass on their own interpretations in addition to the actual media content.The information does not flow directly from the text into the minds of its audience, but is filtered through the opinion leaders who then pass it on to a more passive audience. The audience then mediate the information received directly from the media with the ideas and thoughts expressed by the opinion leaders, thus being influenced not by a direct process, but by a two step flow.This theory appeared to reduce the power of the media, and some researchers concluded that social factors were also important in the way in which audiences interpret texts. This led to the idea of active audiences.

Cultivation Theory

This theory also treats the audience as passive. It suggests that repeated exposure to the same message – such as an advertisement – will have an effect on the audience’s attitudes and values. A similar idea is known as densensitisation which suggests that long term exposure to violent media makes the audience less likely to be shocked by violence. Being less shocked by violence the audience may then be more likely to behave violently.

The criticism of this theory is that screen violence is not the same as real violence. Many people have been exposed to screen murder and violence, but there is no evidence at all that this has lead audiences to be less shocked by real killings and violence. Also this theory treats the audience as passive which is an outdated concept.

Postmodernism 

Postmodernism embodies scepticism towards the ideas and ideals of the modern era, especially the ideas of progress, objectivity, reason, certainty, personal identity and grand narrative

Postmodernism is best viewed as a gradual and progressive reaction to the modernist movement; thus there are qualities that can be shared by each. Postmodernism, after all, embraces playful imitation so modernism can be evident as an intentional ironic reference. The mere definition of each movement can be a subjective playground for analytical minds but they can be best illustrated as two spheres interlocking where similarities meet.

So, even though a postmodern text can be constructed from already tried-and-tested genres, techniques and stock characters, it can still be as forward thinking as a modernist text (Pulp Fiction being a prime example).

Postmodernism acts against reason, orthodoxy and logic to bring us a text that is rich with surrealism and unpredictability.  You learn to accept the fact that there is no justification or reasoning behind actions or characters. They exist because they can exist; it is a celebration of the medium of television that allows The Boosh to pick and choose from a long history of tried and tested formulas. 

Antonio Gramsci 

The theory of hegemony was invented by Gramsci. Gramsci was concerned to eradicate economic determinism from Marxism and to develop its explanatory power with respect to superstructural institutions. So, he held that:

• Class struggle must always involve ideas and ideologies, ideas that would make the revolution and also that would prevent it.



• He stressed the role performed by human agency in historical change: economic crises by themselves would not subvert capitalism.



• Gramsci was more "dialectic" than "deterministic": he tried to build a theory which recognised the autonomy, independence and importance of culture and ideology.

Hegemony

Hegemony is not a forced political movement, hegemony is where an organisation see trends in society and utilise this knowledge to create products that fit in with the cultural values and ideas of that time. For our AS Media product the hegemony behind it was down to the current craze of zombie film's and television series such as the 'The Walking Dead'. In these past couple of years there has been a large increase in the number of zombie products being produced across wide forms of media and we therefore applied our ideas of hegemony to our own media production. We decided to combine the desolute environment of 'The Walking Dead' with the fast paced action of 'World War Z'. In doing this we were able to make a product that worked well in the current market.

Ideology

Ideology is the way in which companies that mediate different products and utilise different aspects of media in order to reflect the same ideas and values that the companies hold. For example, when Americans produce films the Americans within it are almost always portrayed as superior to the rest of the world; in addition they also show the lower classes and the homeless in a negative connotation. Valentin Volosinov argued that a theory of ideology which grants the purely abstract concept of consciousness an existence prior to the material forms in which it is organized could only be metaphysical. Ideological forms are not the product of consciousness but rather produce it. 

In our AS Media production, the ideologies behind it were that we wanted to create a digesis where all are now equal in a desolute environment. It was made to show that the main protagonist could have been from any social background be it rich or poor but is now reduced to the bare essentials left to him. So the ideology for the product was to get an audience to feel the sense of isolation and ruthlessness to survive, it doesn't matter who a person is, they are all on the same level when it comes to living.

Barthes Theory on semiotics

Roland Barthes semiotic theory focuses on the social signs, specifically photographs. Barthes theory emphasizes how signs constitute a culture and ideologies in particular ways. According to Barthes, these messages are created in two ways: through denotation, the literal meaning and reference of a sign and/or connotation, the meanings that are suggested or implied by the sign. Barthes uses mythical as a way of describing the characteristics that are associated with common sense, or in other words, the characteristics of a photograph that have the opportunity to represent and convey ideological norms of a culture .Although the photo itself often holds many connotative messages, the text around the photo also contributes to its connotation. Barthes describes the text as “parasitic” on the image. In other words, the text borrows the objectivity of the image, while at the same time loading the image with hidden connotations.

Semiotic Theory -Peirce 

 Peirce's basic claim is that signs consist of three inter-related parts: a sign, an object, and an interpretant. For the sake of simplicity, we can think of the sign as the signifier, for example, a written word, an utterance, smoke as a sign for fire etc. The object, on the other hand, is best thought of as whatever is signified, for example, the object to which the written or uttered word attaches, or the fire signified by the smoke. The interpretant, the most innovative and distinctive feature of Peirce's account, is best thought of as the understanding that we have of the sign/object relation. The importance of the interpretant for Peirce is that signification is not a simple dyadic relationship between sign and object: a sign signifies only in being interpreted. This makes the interpretant central to the content of the sign, in that, the meaning of a sign is manifest in the interpretation that it generates in sign users. Things are, however, slightly more complex than this and we shall look at these three elements in more detail.

Peirce's idea that a sign does not signify in all respects and has some particular signifying element is perhaps best made clear with an example. For example, a molehill in my lawn taken as a sign of moles. Not every characteristic of the molehill plays a part in signifying the presence of moles. The colour of the molehill plays a secondary role since it will vary according to the soil from which it is composed. Similarly, the sizes of molehills vary according to the size of the mole that makes them; so again, this feature is not primary in the molehill's ability to signify. What is central here is the causal connection that exists between the type of mound in my lawn and moles: since moles make molehills, molehills signify moles. Consequently, primary to the molehill's ability to signify the mole is the brute physical connection between it and a mole. This is the sign-vehicle of the sign. For Peirce, then, it is only some element of a sign that enables it to signify its object, and when speaking of the signifying element of the sign, or rather, the sign-vehicle, it is this qualified sign that he means.

Just as with the sign, not every characteristic of the object is relevant to signification: only certain features of an object enable a sign to signify it. For Peirce, the relationship between the object of a sign and the sign that represents it is one of determination: the object determines the sign. The idea is that the object imposes certain parameters that a sign must fall within if it is to represent that object. However, only certain characteristics of an object are relevant to this process of determination.

 The interpretant provides a translation of the sign, allowing us a more complex understanding of the sign's object. Second, just as with the sign/object relation, Peirce believes the sign/interpretant relation to be one of determination: the sign determines an interpretant.

Semiotics of AS Media Production

The semiotics of this scene is varied; for example one of the signifiers in this scene is the surrounding environment of desolate woodland. The woodland has signified the notion of alienation, as the character is on his own in a desolate place, it raises the questions in people’s heads of ‘what has happened?’ and also gives a sense of desperation as the man is scavenging for food. In addition the angle of the camera (Dutch tilt) is another signifier, signifying the disorientation and confusion of the situation the man has been placed in. Another signifier in this scene in the use of colour saturation, it is a representation of the cold dark world that the man has been left in, also it shows the life that is seeping from the zombie that is slowly falling to the ground.

                   

The signifier in this scene is the knife and the dead owl. The knife is a symbol for the violence and harm that now rules the digesis of this world, and combined with the dead owl we are given a different signified meaning of survival and that in order to survive death must occur. We can also see the ground to be wildly littered with leaves and unattended, this shows that the world has become abandoned and feral. Furthermore the close up shot signifies the intensity and haste in which the man must act because danger lurks everywhere.

Film Script – Twisted

Scene 1 Int. Blacked out room - unknown

The Psychopath is tied to the chair after being beaten his eyes are wild and mocking as he has a low cackling laugh. Sharp non diagetic violin sounds as he sits ups and there is a close up on the Psychopath as he sits up.

Psychopath: (playfully)

Aren’t you getting tired yet?

Cuts to low angle medium close up of Psychopath, his eyes look to his left, licks his lips sadistically.

Psychopath: (mockingly)

 You do realise you’re looking at this from the completely wrong angle right?

Cuts to close up to side of Psychopaths face as he is punched from Henry whose face is still consumed in the blackness.

Psychopath: (sarcastically)

I’m not actually a bad guy if you get to know me.

Cuts to medium close up between the Psychopath and Henry.

Henry leans in very close to Psychopath.

Henry: (growling)

You are a sick little fuck

Cuts to close up to the bound hands behind chair, his hands are wriggling rhythmically.

Close up to Psychopaths face.

Psychopath: (playfully)

 You know I prefer the pink fluffy cuffs

Cuts to low angle medium close up of Henry; his rise in anger begins to make him shake as he clutches the Psychopaths shoulder.

Henry: (furiously)

You’re a real funny guy. A real (punch) funny (punch) fucking (punch) guy

Cuts to high angle close up of Psychopath shaking off the punches his eyes darting around the room, then his eyes lock in on Henry, as Henry leans in closer.

Psychopath: (playfully)

Funny how Henry? Like a clown, like I amuse you? (laughs)

Cuts to medium long shot between the two. Psychopath is hysterically laughing as Henry paces back and forth behind the psychopath then places leans over the shoulders of the Psychopath and without looking at him begins to speak.

Henry:

So why’d you do it?

Psychopath:

 Do what?

      Scene 2 ext. Alleyway - dusk

Cuts to medium long shot to flashback of Psychopath he is pinning a woman to the wall by the throat, she is repeatedly struggling and squealing as his grip tightens and he brings the knife to her cheek.

Psychopath: (playfully)

C’mon now don’t, don’t struggle

Cuts to medium close up to the Psychopath holding the woman, she freezes as the knife moves to her face and looks away.

Psychopath: (angrily)

Look at me, no, no, no, look at me. Tell me where to find her and I’ll let you go.

Cuts to close up of woman’s face as she stares at the knife eyes frantic and then stares into his face. Narration from Henry.

Henry:

And so she told you.

Psychopath:

 And so the piggy squealed.

Cuts to over shoulder shot as Psychopath slits throat fade back into black room.

Scene 3 int. Blacked out room - unknown

Cuts to medium close up to Henry staring into face of Psychopath the Psychopath having a sadistic and mocking sneer.

Psychopath: (mockingly)

I think you might be bending reality a bit there pal; I guess you think Mary was my fault as well?

Scene 4 int. House – night

Cuts to medium close up of Mary tracking her walking through her house into the kitchen, she looks up freezes and drops her keys to the ground and takes a step back.

Cuts to medium long shot of Psychopath sitting upon the kitchen worktops playing with a knife in his hands; switches to a close up shot of his face as he looks up with a big grin.

Psychopath: (stretching the word I’m) 

Honey I’m home

Cuts to medium close up of Mary as she shudders at him being there.

Psychopath:

What’s the matter honey? Surprised to see me?

Mary: (shaking voice)

How... how did you get in here?

Close up of Psychopaths face smirking

Mary: (shaking voice)

Look I can get you help, just... just put the knife down and we can talk.

The Psychopath jumps off of his seating spot and leers towards her knife pointed at her. The camera goes to a medium long shot and tracks both their movements as she screams whilst chasing her through the house, the camera slows at it turns a corner to find the Psychopath slowly sinking the knife into her chest.

Scene 5 int. Blacked out room – unknown

Henry violently shaking places his hand back upon the Psychopaths shoulder slowly moving it to the back of his head and yanks him back by the hair preparing to beat him in the head again. Camera cuts to close up of psychopath.

Psychopath: (challenging)

Have you ever asked yourself Henry how it was I got into the house, how I knew exactly who it was that would tell me where to find Mary, and how you even knew it was me doing all of these acts of a madman. Think back Henry, really think back for a moment, open your eyes.

Scene 6 ext. Alleyway - dusk

Cuts to medium long shot to flashback of Henry he is pinning a woman to the wall by the throat, she is repeatedly struggling and squealing as his grip tightens and he brings the knife to her cheek.

Henry: (playfully)

C’mon now don’t, don’t struggle

Cuts to medium close up to Henry holding the woman, she freezes as the knife moves to her face and looks away.

Henry: (angrily)

Look at me, no, no, no, look at me. Tell me where to find her and I’ll let you go.

Cuts to close up of woman’s face as she stares at the knife eyes frantic and then stares into his face.

Woman:(hysterically)

Henry Please!

Cuts to over shoulder shot as Henry slits throat and camera fades straight into the home scene.

Scene 7 int. House – night

Cuts to medium close up of Mary tracking her walking through her house into the kitchen, she looks up freezes and drops her keys to the ground and takes a step back.

Cuts to medium long shot of Henry sitting upon the kitchen worktops playing with a knife in his hands; switches to a close up shot of his face as he looks up with a big grin.

Henry: (stretching the word I’m) 

Honey I’m home

Cuts to medium close up of Mary as she shudders at him being there.

Henry:

What’s the matter honey? Surprised to see me?

Mary: (shaking voice)

How... how did you get in here?

Close up of Henrys face smirking

Mary: (shaking voice)

Look Henry I can get you help, just... just put the knife down Henry and we can talk.

Henry jumps off of his seating spot and leers towards her knife pointed at her. The camera goes to a medium long shot and tracks both their movements as she screams whilst chasing her through the house, the camera slows at it turns a corner to find Henry slowly sinking the knife into her chest.

Scene 8 int. Blacked out room – unknown

Cuts to medium close up as Henry awakes on the floor in shock, his eyes wild and frantic, camera then cuts to a medium long shot of Henry sitting upright and the Psychopath sits up behind him, a pitiful look on his face, eerie violins play again).

Psychopath:(mockingly)

Bad dreams honey?

Cuts to medium close up as Henry turns his head startled by the sight of him starts to get up, the camera tracks his movement as he rises to find the Psychopath is now in front of him clutching him by the throat.

Psychopath: (Screaming, Mary’s voice being used over the top)

You killed her, you twisted psycho!

Cuts to a black screen where we can hear a struggle and grunts as the two begin to fight, Henry wailing that it’s not true, and then light enters the screen to a medium long shot of Henry stabbing the Psychopath in the chest with a knife.

Cuts to close up of knife sinking in and Henry cradles the Psychopath in his arms.

Scene 9 int- daytime

Cut to medium close up, Henry cradling a nurse in his arms, a blade protruding from her corpse as the Psychopath begins to narrate.

Psychopath:

Looks like somebody’s has been a naughty boy again.

Cuts to close up of woman’s face and then to a shot reverse shot of Henry’s shocked face, cutting to a blurred medium long shot of Henry rising and staggering out of the room.

Final cut to first person view as Henry staggers down a corridor where the blurred images of to workers approach grabbing him and pinning him down, an overwhelming sound of static plays over the shot.

End

History of 'Psychological Thrillers'

‘The lodger’ was a British psychological thriller made in 1926 by Alfred Hitchcock. It is a black and white silent movie, and the rating is a 12. This can show that it may not be as scary or thrilling, and due to the lack of technology but at the same for its release it was frightening at the time.

‘The Most Dangerous Game’ was produced in 1932 by Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack it is a 78 minute movie. Keywords for this movie are “madman, escape, psychopath, slaughter” these are typical conventions of a psychological thriller, however the certificate rating of 12 show that only frequent violent scenes are used, therefore we are unable to see the emphasise on murders or horror scenes.

'Rebecca' was a famous film made in 1940 by Alfred Hitchcock, it is a black and white movie, due a lack of technology it doesn’t appeal to a younger generation. The music however flows with the genre because it creates the tension and suspense needed to make it fit with the style of film.

‘The sinister urge’ is a 1961 psychological thriller directed by Edward D. Wood Jr. there is no certificate rating for this movie, however the caption for the poster to this movie is “compulsive killer strikes terror” and “a psycho with the urge to kill”. 

‘Brimstone and Treacle’ was released in 1982 by Richard Loncraine. It has a certificate rating of 18 this means that extreme violence is allowed to be shown, including blood and gore, also bad language, and even sexual scenes such as rape, which is actually part of the movie. The DVD cover looks very gothic and thrilling as there is a lady screaming and a man praying on a black background.

Silence of the Lambs’ 1991 by Jonathan Demme is probably one of the most infamous psychological thrillers. This movie includes a psycho villain and a Hannibal, and a certificate rating of an 18. The perspective of the movie is very good as it incorporates a lot of aspects needed that may not have been used in earlier films. For example it shows ripped of human skin being eaten.

Se7en Poster Analysis

Treatment

Henry (protagonist) has captured the psychopath who murdered his wife and has him bound to a chair. After beating the psychopath in the head, he begins to taunt Henry about the situation and his wife. As Henry grows increasingly angry proclaiming all of these brutal and vial acts that the psychopath has committed we are taken to flashbacks of these crimes. The first is taken to the psychopath holding up a woman by the throat against a wall promising he won't kill her if she tells him where the wife is. After revealing the location and pleading the psychopath slits her throat and drops her to the ground.

We are then placed back into the dark room where the psychopath is cackling out loud, saying that he has but a fragment of the truth, then receiving another punch, it flashes back to a scene in the home of Mary. The psychopath is seated on the kitchen table surface playing with a knife in his hands. Mary walks into kitchen shocked to see the psychopath there, telling him to leave, she'll get help for him. He chases her through house  into hallway where he slits her throat (camera does not show this, only shows him cradling her body).

We go back to the dark room, where the psychopath no challenges Henry on his misguided facts of how everything really happened. The psychopath then narrates over a new set of flashbacks where it is revealed that Henry was the actual murdering psychopath, and the flashbacks are the exact same apart from it being Henry in the other place and occasional flickering in the editing changes the setting to a medical ward and then back to the house setting with the women changing from Mary to a nurse.

Back in the black room Henry wakes on the floor and sits up disconnected from the world and as he rises so does the psychopath behind him. Taunting him the psychopath begins to dance around Henry as Henry draws a knife and the screen goes black, slowly as we hear a violent struggle the room begins to slowly gain light, until the knife pierces the psychopath in the chest and Henry cradles him the same he did with his wife. A door in the distance opens allowing natural light to flood in, where we are then transported into reality as he is actually cradling a nurse in his arms in a hospital room. It suddenly becomes apparent to him that he has had another violent episode in his ward, showed through quick flashbacks and as the camera becomes disorientated like Henry it tracks him moving through the corridors of the hospital trying to escape as the sound of the psychopaths voice leads him, ending with the blurred outlines of two workers grabbing and pinning him to the ground as he screams out.

Poster Analysis 

Tzvetan Todorov

Todorov has five main beliefs of narrative that are structured in this order:

1. A state of equilibrium (the digesis of the world is at peace and harmony)
2. Distruption of the equilibrium caused by an event (ususally a negative event)
3. Recognition of the disruption of the equilibrium
4. People try to repair the damage created by the disruption
5. A return to restoration and a new equilibrium is established

All of these five points can be applied to any type of film, for example a romantic comedy such as 'The Proposal'. An equilibrium of the two people working together, the woman is threatened to be deported unless she marries a U.S citizen, both recognise this problem, she makes him pretened to get engaged (repair) then a new disruption is revealled, then again love conquers all restablishing an equilibrium.

Vladimir Propp Continued

In addition to the way the narrative is layed out for the audience, specific stock characters are almost always represented in the tale. 

If we take the 'Lord of the Rings' triology as an example.

The Hero: 

 The hero is the character that is tasked with a great burden and adventure that they   must undergo in order to reach an equilibrium, in this case the hero would be 'Frodo Baggins'.

The Villain:

The villain is the main antagonist of the narrative that makes a personal vendetta against the hero and all who oppose them, using whatever powers they have to do so, in this case the villain would be 'Sauron'.

The Donor:

The Donor is the character who helps the hero by either providing the hero with a magical item to help them on their quest, now there are many in the 'Lord of the Rings' triology but the main character that helps the hero throughout his journey would be 'Gandalf'.

The Dispatcher:

The Dispatcher is the person that presents the hero with a task to undergo, and sends them on their way to the destination. For this role, the character 'Elrond' would be considered.

The False Hero:

The false hero is someone who either falsely assumes the role of the hero in the narrative, or alternatively is the character who people could percieve to be the hero of the story when in fact they are not, for example we believe Aragorn to be the hero in the narrative for all the good he does.

The Helper:

The helper provides constant support for the hero throughout the narrative and never gives up on them, providing moral support and boosts that strengthen our hero, in this case 'Sam'.

The Princess:

The princess is the reward for the hero, a trophy and symbol for the triumph over the villain, and presented to the hero at the equilibrium and resolution of the narrative, in this case the hero does not have a princess to claim, but instead the secondary/false hero gets his princess 'Arwen'.

The Father:

The father is of the princess and ususally has a strong dissaproval to the person trying to win her heart, 'Elrond'.

Vladimir Propp - Theory

The theorist Vladimir Propp had a fascination with the way that, that the narratives of folk tales were told, and identified these thirty one characterics/conventions of folk tales that can be applied to films.

1. A member of a family leaves home (the hero is introduced as a unique person, whose needs may not be met by remaining)
2. An interdiction (a command NOT to do something e.g.'don't go there', 'go to this place'), is addressed to the hero.
3. The hero ignores the interdiction.
4. The villain appears and (either villain tries to find the wanted item, or intended victim encounters the villain).
5. The villain gains information about the victim.
6. The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings.
7. The victim is fooled by the villain, unwittingly helps the enemy.
8. Villain causes harm/injury to family member (by abduction, theft of magical item, spoiling crops, causes a disappearance, expels someone, casts spell on someone,  commits murder, imprisons/detains someone, threatens forced marriage, provides nightly torments). 
9. Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched, hears call for help alternative is that victimised hero is sent away, freed from imprisonment).
10. Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action.
11. Hero leaves home.
12. Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc, preparing the way for his/her receiving magical helper (donor).
13. Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test).
14. Hero acquires use of a magical item (it's directly transferred, or offered by other characters).
15. Hero is led to the whereabouts of an object they have been searching for.
16. Hero and villain fight in direct combat.
17. Hero is branded (wounded).
18. Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest).
19. Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revived, captive freed).
20. Hero returns.
21. Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat or undermine the hero).
22. Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden).
23. Hero unrecognised, arrives home or in another land.
24. False hero presents unfounded claims.
25. Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by endurance and will)
26. Task is resolved.
27. Hero is recognised (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
28. False hero or villain is exposed.
29. Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome)
30. The villain is punished.
31. The hero marries and ascends the throne.

Influential film extracts 

These following clips of feature films are to reflect the same style of editing techniques, camera shots and also content presented by the protagonist and antagonist when it comes to making my short film.

From this clip the influence of the antagonist being histerical and toying with the protagonist throughout, provoking the anger within is a powerful idea I hope to be able to present in the narrative and eventually lead to a violent confrontation.

From this clip we can deduce the concept of the antagonist being almost as a mentor teaching and progressing the narrative.

Short film analysis

The reason this film has been selected for analysis is due to its depiction of isolation in those with mental illness. The central character is on his own and placed in a dark uncomfortable environment for the film; the colour scheme in this film is also highly saturated of colour, leaving it with a dark and depressing vibe. The reason this short film links towards my own production is because I would like to use the same style of colour used and create the same environment and atmosphere of isolation.

Target audience for films I have viewed

The films I have viewed revolve largely around a central character that is isolated from the rest of the world, and are internally tormented for the way they are and also by others around them. The main theme of these films is of a mental illness which causes termoil in that individuals life, which relates strongly to my own short film idea. So the main audience for the films I have viewed can be from any social group seeing as mental illness does not discriminated between those it affects; furthermore the films are more appropriate for those that know of someone close to them that suffers from mental illness.

These videos help for people to identify different characteristics in to look out for in the people they know and help relate to what a person can be suffering from. Also people who actually suffer from a mental illness are the audience for these short films because they themselves can see that others around either suffer also, or are doing something to raise awareness for mental illness and trying to remove the stigma from it.

Rick Altman's Theory - Syntactic Approaches

Syntactics are more concerned with the realtions between the elements and structures of narritives in genres. For example romantic comedies all follow the exact same sequence of events in the structure of their narrative; characters that are binary opposites of one another meet by unexpected chance and instantly clash, these interactions and meetings continue to happen for the first thirty minutes, and they then are drawn to one another either by a sad event occuring to one of the character's or the sexual tensions ends and they come together. From this point one of the characters will do something to portray the other, they will fall out of love and then the other performs a romantic act to win back the love. If a genre doesn't follow the structure they are supposed to such as in romantic comedies individuals in the audience will be confused and disreguard the product.

Rick Altman's Theory - Semantic approaches

The semantic approach to to film is the idea of generic conventions. The audience expect when they watch a product such as a film or television show certain conventions have to be placed into it, for example we expect to see in the genre stock characters such as the vulnerable blonde woman, and a large either masculine murderer or ominous and enigmatic spirits at work; the sound effects are set to be very sharp pitched sounds that are loud and build up the tension just as much as the actual footage, we expect to see if the antagonist in the product is human a melee type weapon such as a knife, and in terms of location and shooting styles we expect many close up shots to create a trapped atmosphere and they tend to be set in abandoned environments. Without these conventions the audience would not consider the film to be the genre it claims to be and therefore be confused by what they were actually viewing.

The audience for short film

Demographics

The main demographic groups for short film are from group A - C1. These skilled professionals are looking for potential in rising film makers, usually to recruit them into the industry to begin to produce feature films and show; alternatively from observing these shorts a person could be offered a place on a professional film making course.

From the perspective of students, they are usually placed in group E but there financial backgrounds (in terms of their parents careers) are normally based between group A - C1. So students at school, college or university are a general audience for short film because they study these short films for inspiration and technical tips on how to create their own products. Short films general audience also tends to be anyone interested in media, this is reinforced by the fact that most short films are viewed on websites such as YouTube and are searched for by people seeking media inspiration.

Succeeders

These tend to be people high earning and achieving people who earn a large sum of money and believe they have control over situations. The reason they would be interested in short film, is to find an individual to invest their money into to produce a successful product in which they can return a profit.

Aspirers

These tend to be relatively young people such as degree graduates that are aiming to get higher and further in their life and career. These people would be looking into doing heavy research into the media industry, in particular the film industy aspect so that they could gain knowledge and inspiration for their own creations.

Individualists

These generally tend to be people who wish to stand out from the crowd and make their own mark on the world. So members from this social area could be looking into short film to create their own original piece to present to obtain recognition.

Audience Profile

A2

The demographics for my target audience are those who are aged at 18 to 24. The reason for this is is that the short film will contain graphic images and violent underlying themes, that the effect theory would show to be as desensitization for younger audiences. Also in terms of psychographics, the short film is a thought provoking piece designed to make the audience uncomfortable and to shock, so psychologically in theory people aged 18 and above should be able to handle the mentality behind the film.

 Also in terms of demographics, the film would be aimed at the social category C1. This is because this class of society would become more enthralled by the psychology behind it and it the narrative’s conclusion would play upon their minds afterwards.

The main audience in terms of gender for this short film would probably be female over male. I believe this because from speaking with different social circles, the number of female people that have seen psychological films such as ‘Shutter Island’ and loved it were much higher than the males.

Also other genres and things the audience would be into watching, would be things like horror and thrillers.

Reception theory apllied to short film

The individuals in the audience will have numerous different reactions to the narrative. Some will decode the enigma and twist in the tale faster than others, and others in the audience may not agree that the conclusion means the same as their opinion. The film would be left to an open interpretation for all to debate over.

How are short films distributed and exhibited?

One of the main ways the short films are distributed is via social media and social networking sites such as YouTube. The film maker will upload it to a site such as this normally to obtain attention from anyone who has access to the website. Money can be made in advertisements on YouTube so the film maker can in theory get their budget back over a period of time providing it becomes popular. The problem with YouTube is that it will realistically only give a person an audience if it is a popular video, if not the film is in essence a waste of time, so another form of distribution is available to film makers.

Film festivals such BFI are a great way to get a short film distributed. A person can submit a film to the company in the hopes that the festival plays it to an audience in an independant cinema; so these festivasls also act as exhibitors. From these festivals potential directors, film critics, and scouts can decide that the director of the short film is highly talented, or has the possibility of becoming that, and induct them into the film industry.

Representation

Representation in short film of characters is very limited. The characters in short film are normally limited to being just represented by their actions rather than by the mise-en-scene of clothing. For example a single mother is easily identified in short films by walking around in an exhausted fashion, normally moving around as though they are on autopilot. The reason behind the representations of characters being represented by a small portion of what could be potentially used is that the film is set to a strict time limit and therefore the audience are forced to think more at the connotations that the camera portrays about the character. In a way this is more effective as the audience then engage in the representations more to try and form their own notions of what the narrative and its characters really mean.

Representation in feature films on the other hand is much more different. The producer and director have much more time and larger budgets to create their representations of things such as characters and gender. For example feature films have the ability to back track into the persons life and background either through verbal communication or by flashbacks. 

Media Language

The media language in short film for cinematography usually consists of different shots for the majority of narrative. The same shots of middle close ups are among the most repeated shot types, this is because these shots allow enough to be seen, and as short films are limited to showing the bare essentials, these shots can get the points across. In terms of editing jump cuts are used to show a period of time that has passed, again this because you are very limited in what you can show to tell the story, so jump cuts help to bring you to different times in the narrative. Also most short films are told from non-verbal communication so the shots that are picked must be clear and obvious to show the main denotations and connotations in the short film.

 

Presentation on short film

Clip extract to show type of character relation 

between protagonist and antagonist.

How are short films made? What are their sources of funding?

Short films are made by a number of different individuals and companies. For example short films are made for ambitious and up and coming directors who want to make a name for themselves in the industry; so for these individuals the source of funding comes from their own pockets and they fund themselves. Another way these types of people make films and recieve funding is by going onto websites such as http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/guide/before-you-start/funding#sources  to get donations and tips on ways to get funding for the short film.

Another source of funding for short films is companies who hire short film crews to create a promotional video for their product. A prime example of this is the use of live action video's for video games, the franchise 'Call of Duty' hired a film crew to create a promotional piece for their upcoming game, also using film stars to add more appeal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuzaxlddWbk

Application of Theory's to short film

Bathes code of enigma can be applied to the narrative of the film 'In Bruges'. The enigma runs throughout the first section of the narrative whilst an equilibrium is in motion. The two disfunctional protagonists have been sent to "lay low", and we know not why this is, or what crimes they may or may not have committed. As the narrative progress's we unravel the heinous crime that Ray committed unintentionally. This then enters Bathe's code of culture, as the gangster culture is revealled by the antagonist Harry, who goes to kill Ray for his sins and the phrase "You can't kill a kid and expect to get away with it" is constantly repeated reinforcing gangsters morals. 

From this I have come to understand that in my short film whatever the narrative is about, the ethics and morals of the lead characters have to remain constant throughout and lead to the conclusion of the plot.

In terms of Vladimir Propps theory, this film has an unconventional set of stock characters. For example the character Ray in reality would be seen as a villain and a low life; in reality the audience would not associate or sympathise with him. But in the diegesis of this film the character is shown as a tragic hero who understands the misdeeds of his past and therefore sympathy is created for him. So from this theory I can use the notion of having a troubled protagonist who has a dark history and try to create audience sympathy for him.

 

For our media product to be successful, we did a number of things. The first was through the use of Reception Theory; this could be seen through our use of mise-en-scene. The character was dirty smeared with mud and blood. From this the audience could automatically make their own perceptions of the character, such as him being homeless, violent and trouble. To add to this, the bleak forest backgrounds added another layer for the audience to converse with others; the environment and desolate atmosphere give clear indications as to what type of narrative and genre this film will be. The character being alienated from society in this way sets up the generic formula for a zombie movie. The reason reception theory was helpful here was down to the timing in which we created it, at the time both television series such as The Walking Dead and films such as World War Z were being shown and in production, which were both large successes; so this showed us that our genre was a guaranteed to be successful.

 

The syntactic and semantic ideas that were placed into the product were all generic conventions of the film style. The zombies in the opening we deliberately set to appear from behind and out of focus to the audience to create the element of an enigmatic outcome, in traditional zombie films, the character in the opening shots would normally play an opening victim to which are slaughtered. But we decided that we should surprise the audience and make the opening character a hunter of the dead to add new originality and engaging plot. The semantic props that were used were things such as an bow and arrow set which we have learnt from other zombie products, is the silent weapon of choice to use in this scenario.

Why do short films get made

Short films are made for a number of reasons. The first reason is that they cn be used to promote a product, for example the video game ‘Army of Two: The Devils Cartel’ had a live action short film created by a short film production company to gain interest from fans of the franchise and people looking for a new type of game to play. In the behind the scenes footage the team reveal that the actual game company gave the production team the real masks for the film and told them to create something with them. So the reasoning behind people creating short film is that even though the film itself may not make any money, the actual product that the film is promoting will benefit and make the money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vgo-7iYXiE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_60335&feature=iv&src_vid=6vgo-7iYXiE&v=q7l8t2B3K9w

Another reason behind short films being created is to raise awareness for certain issues, such as a council trying to raise awareness on a social issue. These films are not profit designed in terms of money, they are created to hopefully benefit the society around them and the audiences to profit from knowledge of events that happen around them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0ADc-r4ub0

The final reason for short films to be made is for things such as school and college projects, or people trying to obtain recognition in the film industry. By creating a short film and placing it either on the internet on websites such as YouTube, or entering them in film festivals such as http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk/ . In doing this, it allows people to see their talent and provide opportunity to get into a serious film production.