Studio Idents - Research and Planning

This Ident had an instantly recognisable colour scheme - blue and gold - which gives it a familiar look and makes it appealing to me (as a point of interest, it has been modified for several films - black and white for Inception, blue-tinted for The Dark Knight. These I feel are interesting stylistic choices to throw off the viewer, which suggests their familiarity to the original colour scheme). The symbol is also very bold and recognisable. I feel that we should attempt to make an Ident with a similarly recognisable colour scheme for our studio logo.

This is a simple, bold and iconic studio logo which also has an powerful theme. This logo often draws me into films due to its own timelessness, so I feel that we should also attempt to make an eye-catching Ident, simple yet iconic.

Like the other Idents I have posted, the main colour scheme of the writing on this Ident is gold - unless we would like to give our studio Ident a more understated look, I feel that we should consider using gold. What I particularly liked about this was the use of spotlights, which is very eye catching.

This is a more understated logo which I imagine that our Ident would look more like. It is, however, as eye-catching and interesting as the other more prestigious Idents I have posted due to the bold font and recognisable logo. This Ident has been frequently used in films which have had it modified or have played music/sound over it. It is possible that we could do the same for our Ident if we were to have one similar to this.

For our Ident, I would like to design something similar to the Legendary Pictures logo. I do not feel that our Ident symbol - if any - should be overstated and large, in order for it to reflect the somewhat low-key nature of our film. Ideally, I would simply have text giving the name of our studio logo, though with a sleek animation to it which would also reflect the stylish and urban atmosphere of our film. Like the Idents I have researched, I would like to possibly have a gold font to our Ident in order to make it stand out, though have the font style itself fairly low-key, perhaps even like the Bank Gothic font we have chosen for the titles themselves.

The Art of the Title - Research

Juno

0:16 – ‘Fox Searchlight Pictures presents’

0:21 – ‘A Mandate Pictures + Mr Mudd Production’

0:26 – ‘A Jason Reitman Film’

0:30 – ‘Juno’

0:39 – Ellen Page

0:43 – Michael Cera

0:49 – Jennifer Garner

0:57 – Jason Bateman

1:01 – Allison Janney

1:06 – J.K. Simmons

1:11 – Olivia Thirlby

1:18 – ‘Casting by Mindy Marin (csa) Kara Lipson’

1:22 – ‘Costume Designer Monique Prudhomme’

1:27 – ‘Music by Mateo Messina, Songs by Kimya Dawson’

1:34 – ‘Music Supervisors Peter Afterman and Margaret Yen’

1:39 – ‘Co-Producers Jim Miller Kelli Konop Brad van Arragon’

1:43 – ‘Film Editor Dana E. Clauberman’

1:49 – ‘Production Designer Steve Saklad’

1:53 – ‘Director of Photography Eric Steelberg’

1:59 – ‘Executive Producers Joe Drake Nathan Kahane Daniel Dubiecki’

2:04 – ‘Produced by Lianne Halfon John Malkovich Mason Novick Russell Smith’

2:10 – ‘Written by Diablo Cody’

2:18 – ‘Directed by Jason Reitman’

Taxi Driver

0:01 – ‘Columbia Pictures Presents’

0:08 – ‘Robert De Niro in’

0:35 – ‘Taxi Driver’

0:39 – ‘A Bill/Phillips Production of a Martin Scorsese Film’

0:43 – ‘Starring Jodie Foster’

0:45 – ‘Albert Brooks as Tom’

0:47 – ‘Harvey Keitel’

0:49 – ‘Leonard Harris’

0:51 – ‘Peter Boyle as Wizard’

0:53 – ‘and Cybill Shepherd as Betsy’

1:07 – ‘Music by Bernard Herrmann’

1:13 – ‘Supervising Film Editor Marcia Lucas Film Editors Tom Rolf a.c.e Melvin Shapiro’

1:18 – ‘Special Makeup Dick Smith’

1:21 – ‘Visual Consultant David Nichols Creative Conslutant Sandra Weintraub’

1:25 – ‘Director of Photography Michael Chapman’

1:29 – ‘Written by Paul Schrader’

1:32 – ‘Produced by Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips’

1:40 – ‘Directed by Martin Scorsese’

It is clear from both these films that a large amount of titles must be put into a film, perhaps more so than our two minute time frame allows. However, as we do not have a cast or crew as large as either of these films I would imagine that we would be able to fit all our necessary titles into the time frame of our film. Personally, I would imagine that our title sequence would not dominate the screen in the way that the titles of either Juno or Taxi Driver do, as both are montages while our film has more of a narrative to it.

British Film Companies Research

BBC Films produce and co-produce around 7 or 8 films a year. Previous projects include Eastern Promises (2007), a British thriller about the secrets surrounding a Russian mob family, and Brighton Rock (2010), another British thriller about small-town gang violence. And more recently, We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011), a psychological thriller based on the novel by Lionel Shriver, and The Awakening(2011), a World War I thriller depicting a woman who is haunted by a child ghost.
BBC Films aims to showcase the best of British talent and British independant films. They commit themselves to finding and developing new talent.
I think they would be a good company to produce our thriller, as we are still fairly new to the process and they could help bring publicity to our film as they already so well established in the production industry. Their films also tend to be low to mid budgeted, and I believe our film falls comfortably into that bracket. Although they don't limit themselves to thrillers, they seem to specialise in them, therefore they would have the capacity, resources, and expertise to produce our film, as it will be a thriller.

Film4 don't appear to made a lot of thrillers but have made many dramas so I will look at those as well.
One of the thrillers that Film4 have made is Dead Man's Shoes, a psychological thriller starring Paddy Considine and directed by Shane Meadows (who went on to direct This is England). It had a very small budget - £723,000 and was all shot in England. Although it seems a bit darker than our film and is rated an 18, it seems similar to to our film in some ways and thus I think Film4 could be a good company to produce our film.
Film4 also made the drama This is England which had a medium budget of £1,500,000. It was all filmed in England, although not in London where our film will be filmed. It did well in the box office, grossing $8,176,544.
Clearly Film4 specialise in films that are low-mid budget and are not averse to thrillers. I think they would do a good job with our film if they were to produce it and that they would be a strong choice if we were to look for a production company.

Film London are a film and television production company who's credits mainly include low budget British films such as Shifty. They have also been involved in the production of films such as My Week With Marylin, a popular Oscar contender, and Is Anybody There?, starring Michael Caine. Aside from being involved in films as producers, Film London also offer resources to aspiring or independent film makers. They can offer application or permission forms for directors to film in certain parts of London and help independent film makers with advice on and what to film in London.

We would most likely aim for this production company as many of it's resources would most likely be of use to us. Half of our film is set on the Docklands Light Railway and the stations surrounding it, meaning that we would be able to use Film London to secure permission to film on it. Furthermore, some of the films it has produced seem to be of a similar budget and style to the one we are currently making, meaning it would be a useful production company for our film.

We have chosen BBC Films in association with Film London and another independent company of ours to produce our film. This is because we feel that BBC Films will give us the right production budget and value, while Film London will aid us with filming in areas of London.

The French Connection (1971)

The French Connection is a police thriller based on true events, directed by William Friedkin and written by Ernest Tidyman, starring Gene Hackman. The two production companies involved in The French Connection were Schine-Moore Productions and D'Antoni Productions. Both production companies were only involved in the production of this film, though it's distributor, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, is highly renowned, having been involved in many big budget films year in year out.

Bullitt (1968)

Bullitt is a police thriller directed by Peter Yates and written by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, starring Steve McQueen. The two production companies involved were Warner Brothers/Seven Arts and  Solar Productions. The Warner Brothers/Seven Arts partnership stopped producing films in 1970, though in it's time it made some reasonably popular and critically acclaimed films such as Cool Hand Luke and The Green Berets - all these films notably star popular leading actors. Solar Productions was solely involved in the films of Steve McQueen, including The Thomas Crown Affair and The Getaway.

The Long Good Friday (1980)

The Long Good Friday is a crime film directed by John Mackenzie and written by Barrie Keeffe, starring Bob Hoskyns. The three production companies involved in the film were British Lion Film Corporation, Calendar Productions and HandMade Films. British Lion Film Corporation has mainly been involved in independent projects, while Calendar Productions was solely involved in the production of The Long Good Friday. HandMade Films has also largely been involved in independent projects, though it produced the highly popular Withnail & I.

Thriller - Definition

A thriller is a genre of literature and film which is based around evoking an atmosphere of suspense, fear and tension. We are attempting to achieve the effect which most thrillers have by making a story which is based around danger, being the story of an assassin, and introducing tension and surprises from the story's beginning, through using ambiguous screams heard over the opening titles.

Film Audience Questionnaire

1) Do you like films?

Yes.  30

No.       0

It is clear from this that films are appreciated by almost all people of all age ranges. 

2) Where do you watch your films?

Cinema 17

DVD/Blu-Ray 17

Television 12

Online/iTunes 17

The cinema, DVDs and online downloads are the most popular here - television is less popular, perhaps because it does not offer the experience of the cinema or because it does not give audiences freedom to watch what they want unlike DVDs and online film websites do.

3) How many times per week do you watch films?

Once a week 16

Twice a week 8

Three times a week 5

Four plus times a week 1

The majority of people watch films one time a week, above twice a week seems to be rare.

4) Which cinemas do you go to?

Arthouse 16

Multiplex 20

West End cinemas 2

City centre cinema 4

Most people attend arthouse or multiplex cinemas. It is likely to be the case because they are more accessible to people living in suburban areas, more so than city centre or West End cinemas are.

5) What food/drink do you get when you go to the cinema?

Sweets 13

Popcorn 16

Fizzy drinks 8

Nothing 6

Hot food 0

This shows that popcorn is particularly popular, suggesting that it is still typical to buy, whereas hot food seems to be very unpopular.

6) What persuades you to see a particular film?

Word of mouth 21

Critical reception 15

Advertising 14

Favourite actors 19

Favourite directors 9

The word of mouth is the most common reason why people see a film. This may be because the 15-25 age bracket, who are responsible for the majority of film ticket sales, are the most outgoing. However, many people seem to be persuaded to see films if their favourite actors are involved, as the use of some actors often assures audiences that a film will be good or successful. Around a third of participates said that their favourite directors convince them to see a film, suggesting that a fair few people take an interest into the film industry.

7) What kinds of films do you prefer?

Rom-com 17

Science fiction 16

Thriller 24

Musicals 8

Horror 10

War 16

Drama 15

Comedy 23

 Thrillers, comedies and romantic comedies are the most popular here, perhaps because they do not require as much effort to watch as, for example, hard-hitting war films would do. Few seem to like horror films or musicals, suggesting that the quality of these films is either in decline or not appealing to a younger age range (the age range which most people asked in this questionnaire belonged to).

8) What do you like about thrillers? 

Fast paced, clever, suspense, action, realism, escapism, plot twists, thought provoking, ambiguous, interesting, exciting, stylish.

There seem to be several reasons why people enjoy thrillers here, though the main reason seems to be because they offer a mixture of visual excitement i.e. realism, style and action, and thought provoking excitement i.e. plot twists, ambiguity and suspense. 

9) Do you have any favourite actors? If so, which ones?

Blake Lively, Tom Hardy x5, John Cusack x2, Megan Fox, James Franco, Leighton Meester, Beyonce, Ashton Kutcher, Ryan Gosling x4, Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Kirsten Dunst, Sofia Coppola, Christian Bale x2, Gene Hackman, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Tom Selleck x12, David Lynch, Daniel Day Lewis, Chris Tucker x2, Malcolm McDowell, Britney Spears, Jack Nicholson, Tom Sizemore x2, Mark Ruffalo, David Cross, Clint Eastwood, Mark Paul Gosselar, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte x2, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Paul Rudd, Steve Coogan, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, Jesse Eisenberg, Anton Yelchin, Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson x3, Steve Carrel,  Tom Cruise, Zoe Saldana, Robert Downey Jr, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Caan, Michael Fassbender x2, Benedict Cumberbatch.

There seems to be a wide range of favourite in this list, from comedians such as Seth Rogen to veteran actors such as James Caan. Among the 15-20 age range, which made up the majority of the questionnaire, younger actors seem to be the most popular, whether it is the 'eye candy' female actors or charismatic, talented younger actors such as Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy or Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Collateral - Opening

Director Michael Mann himself has stated that he sees the film Collateral as, effectively, a ‘third act’ and climax to a grand crime story of a contract killer at the top of his game and the taxi driver he will meet while sent out to perform his assassinations in Los Angeles – however, the first and second acts he only came up with in his head. Important, then, is the opening to the film – as a character study of two seemingly alike but wholly different people, it is important to provide exposition to these characters while putting the audience in the middle of the situation. If there is one director who can achieve this by setting the tone of the film before it effectively begins, it is Michael Mann. Like Mann’s masterpiece Heat, an audio track is heard over the opening studio logo – here, there are sounds of a plane’s landing and a busy commotion in an unknown location – however, the only sounds with any clarity are the sounds of controlled, deliberate footsteps. Furthermore, the Dreamworks Studios logo itself is characterised in black and white – through this, we are already introduced to the dark atmosphere and mood of the film, giving the film it’s intended feeling of starting in the middle of the story. After the title cards have finished, the film’s lead character is introduced – Vincent (masterfully played in an against-type performance by Tom Cruise) – the shot, of his character, with grey hair and a plain grey suit, mirrors the curious opening sounds – there is an immense depth of field to the shot, meaning Vincent, like the opening audio, is the only character in focus, creating a feeling of distance between him and the others around him. The next shot sees an unnamed character played in a cameo role by Jason Statham also walking through a busy, indoor location. We see the two walking through this area, casually surveying the passing people Deliberately looking in other directions to each other, the two characters collide and drop their briefcases. The two exchange some dialogue – though seemingly unsuspicious, the audience knows that there is more to this than meets the eye, as Vincent picks up the briefcase carried by the other man, and vice versa. Vincent finally walks away, not looking back.

We then move to a taxi depot, where drivers are seen doing crosswords, watching football, and on the phone to their families. Again, there is only one character focused on in the midst of this crowded location – Max, the film’s second lead who will become the Vincent’s cab driver for the night. While other cab drivers are busy putting their cars together, fixing their engines and chatting to each other, Max’s taxi seems perfectly neat. There is an underlying sense of fate explored within these two characters. Somehow, they will collide during the events of the film, though the circumstances are almost unimaginable – Vincent is in fact a hit man, sent to Los Angeles to perform five assassinations in one night, and Max will end up driving him to the locations in his cab.

Through the look and feel of the characters and their locations, the similarities of Max and Vincent are explored in the opening scene. Vincent’s look – a plain grey suit and tie with a white shirt – and Tom Cruise’s acting – precise, deliberate, sparing covert looks at the surrounding crowds though never straying from his goal – show his deliberate, controlled nature. Meanwhile, Max seems totally in control of his world – the only adjustment he needs to make to his taxi is cleaning the windscreen. However, their weaknesses are represented so subtly, only auteur Michael Mann, who went as far to invent character’s parents and backgrounds in preparation, could demonstrate them. Vincent, though dressed to look anonymous, feels ironically out of place when we compare him to the areas of Los Angeles seen in the various exploits of Max in the film’s opening as he drives an arguing couple and a lawyer (Jada Pinkett Smith) round the city – L.A. is one of the most multicultural and diverse cities in the world, and the plain, cold look and feel of Vincent seems most natural when compared to the design of the city itself as opposed to the people within it. It is here that Michael Mann’s use of digital cameras pays off. Though the natural colour scheme of the film has a grey, cold tone, the Sony High Definition cameras capture the depth of field and colour seen within Los Angeles during Max’s cab rides in the opening, allowing the city’s unique blend of architecture, lights and people to shine through.

Studying Thriller Openings

Leon

Ø  Swooping, aerial shots over New York open the film, establishing the location but creating mystery at the same time.

Ø  The music which plays over the opening is peaceful, yet slightly menacing.

Ø  A tracking shot moves into the interior of a café which is cast in shadow and totally dark. It instantly feels ominous to the viewer.

Ø  The conversation is made out of close ups of the two characters who are both obscured, making them feel mysterious to the viewer.

Ø  The lighting switches from bright to dark and to bright again as it cuts between the different locations, which creates excitement and provides stark contrasts which add to the thrills.

Ø  The action is mainly focused on the victims – the killer is obscured from view, which heightens the fear and tension as he becomes part of the unknown to the viewer.

Ø  High and low angle shots of the staircase make the location feel larger and more dangerous to the viewer.

Ø  A shootout is not seen, only heard. Bullet holes go through a screen wall, establishing the danger without giving the action away to the audience.

Ø  Leon is shown either in shadow or through holes in the walls, making him feel more like a demonic presence.

Ø  When the camera follows the victim, it makes sure to get the corridors and pillars around him in the shot, establishing the vastness of the location and making him seem more vulnerable to the audience.

                                                          

The Last King of Scotland

Ø  Opening titles announce ‘This film is inspired by real people and events’. Sets audience up for brutal realism and creates a sense of anticipation for what is to come.

Ø  Unexpected shouting is heard over the opening titles of someone counting down, which puts the audience on the edge of their seat and makes them look forward to the context of the voices.

Ø  The opening is harshly over lit, which contrasts to the titles over a black screen – the contrast between the two creates an edgy feel.

Ø  Much of the opening is shot with a handheld camera, meaning the film feels intense from the start.

Ø  Shots of the open water create a sense of vastness in scale, giving the audience a feel of vulnerability.

Ø  The main character remains silent throughout the dinner table until he is seen unexpectedly shouting in his bedroom, suggesting to the audience that he is troubled. Immediately, through the edginess of the protagonist, the audience feels slightly uneasy.

Ø  A shot of the globe spinning played in slight slow motion with amplified sound effects makes the viewer await the location the main character will travel to.

Ø  There is a contrast between both the lighting and pace of the coach trip in Uganda to the opening in Scotland, establishing the frenetic atmosphere of the location.

Dirty Pretty Things

Ø  Ambient sounds are heard over the title cards, putting the audience in the film’s situation.

Ø  The film begins in the middle of the main character’s actions, instantly establishing a sense of movement.

Ø  All the opening shots are tightly framed, which denote claustrophobia to the audience.

Ø  The character drives through a mixture of light and dark locations, making it more aesthetically exciting.

Ø  A handheld camera follows the characters, putting the audience in with the characters and immerses them in the location.

Ø  The lighting scheme changes frequently as the character travels through his different jobs, from red, to yellow, to blue, which gives the audience a sense of frenetic movement and action.

Ø  The character is filmed from some wide angle, long shots in the lobby of the hotel, making him feel isolated and small in comparison to the hotel.

Ø  A neon lit, totally symmetrical shot of a clock feels striking and somewhat sinister.

Ø  The music is quiet and slow pace, with an expectant feeling that makes the scene in the lobby feel more suspenseful.

Part 1 - General Introduction Questions

Q1) Why is convergence both a blessing and a curse for the UK film industry?

Convergence in the UK film industry can lead to greater and more broad opportunities for UK film makers to have their work seen, e.g. by uploading them onto websites such as YouTube. Convergence can also help film companies have greater control over the marketing, as film producers and audiences can become associated through the Internet. The internet and convergence can offer consumers more ways to view media, which leads to some diversity within media and the film industry. However, it can also mean that traditional methods of marketing have been made redundant - independent projects with less money behind them can become more successful than films produced on a larger scale, due to the fact that the a film's success is, due to convergence, determined by how it is consumed by viewers.

Q2) How has the Internet allowed film makers to find and attract audiences in different ways?

The Internet has meant that all works of media and data can be viewed worldwide - importantly, they can now be consumed in different formats by different consumers. Social networking groups based around the media creates awareness and support from the general public, while trailers can be viewed on a number of different websites including YouTube and Apple Trailers. The producers can also have websites created on the Internet which promote the film and provide information about it.

How to Make an Intelligent Blockbuster...

What I've learnt about the film industry.

From Mark Kermode's 'How to Make an Intelligent Blockbuster and not Alienate People', it is clear that, while he takes a subjective slant on contemporary blockbusters - stating it as a fact that 'No one enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End', he makes it clear that modern cinemagoers, who have been taught to believe that the blockbuster genre cannot give them a masterpiece though a series of unimpressive yet big budget films, have diminished their expectations for cinema events. He describes it as 'unfashionable' for a critically successful director such as Christopher Nolan to treat audiences as intelligent, demonstrating how a trend has begun within big-budget directors to diminish audience's expectations.

He elaborates on the idea of big budget films becoming financial hits, despite poor quality, explaining how a budget can be used as a form of marketing, saying that the success of the film Inception did not come from an intellectually challenging script, but a list of three things: 'a) an A-list star. b) eye popping special effects. c) a newsworthy budget'. Through this, he seems to suggest that cinema is being dumbed-down, and that people will happily pay for a film with a big budget, no matter how good or bad it is 'they'll flock to see films that are rubbish, and which they don't actually enjoy. Like Pearl Harbor'. This explains his concept of diminished expectations.

Website Research

'The Tree of Life' (2011) - dir. Terrence Malick

http://www.twowaysthroughlife.com/ - an interactive webpage focusing on clips, discussions and the philosophy of The Tree of Life.

Features:

Clips from the film, with summaries

Options for website users to leave comments

Music from the film

www.foxsearchlight.com/thetreeoflife - an official website for the film under the address of it's production company.

Features:

Trailers

News and information regarding the film

Reviews

Photo galleries