Independent Films

An independent film, or indie film, is a film that is produced mostly outside of a majot film studio. The term also refers to art films which differ noticeably from most mass marketed films. In addition to being produced by independent production companies, independent films are often produced and/or distributed by subsidiaries of major studios. In order to be considered independent, less than half of a film's financing should come from a major studio.

DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation SKG is devoted to producing high-quality family entertainment through the use of computer-generated (CG) animation. With world-class creative talent and technological capabilities, our goal is to release two CG animated feature films a year that deliver great stories, breathtaking visual imagery and a sensibility that appeals to both children and adults.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros entertainment is a very successful instutution that has distributed many successful films such as Inception, The book of Eli and the Harry Potter sequel. One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank, California and New York City. Warner Bros. has several subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Founded	1918 (as Warner Bros. West Coast Studios) 1923 (as Warner Bros. Pictures)
Founder	Jack Warner  Harry Warner Sam Warner Albert Warner

Questionaire

Gender:  Male        Female 


What age group do you belong in?  0-10   10-20   20-30   30-40   40-50   50+


What genre do you prefer? 
Horror    Romance    War    Crime    Adventure    Thriller    Comedy    Action    Other     


Which of the following effect do you find effective in the opening of a film?
Flashback                Non-Linear            Linear   Intro of character         Suspense              Other   


Do you feel PG and 12A films are more popular than 15 or 18 rated films? Yes   No


What do you feel makes a good thriler? _______________________________________________________________________
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Additional Comments ______________________________________________________
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Thank you for the time and effort it has been much appreciated!

More Key Terms

Ideology- Body of beliefs or views belonging to an individual or group taught by society.

Semiotics- This is a way of explaining how we make meaning.

Demographics- Demographics are the statistical characteristics of human populations, such as age and income that are used by businesses to identify markets for their goods and services.

Psychographics-In the field of marketing, demographics, opinion research, and social research in general, psychographic variables are any attributes relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles.

Filming Our Preliminary Task

We used a CCTV shot to set the scene at the start, consisting of the poker table and players. We then shot the protagonist which was Ashley Firth, looking at his phone. Following this was a close-up of the phone, before filming Ashley departing out of the room. When Ashley left the room, there was a close up of the handle and then filmed him walking down the corridor. After this there were many takes in the toilets, where the drug dealer(Arjan Boyall) stood still as Ashley walked in. The camera then moved to a point of view shot of the dealer looking at me, before the camera angled down to our hands and saw the dealings happened. The clip then concluded with a CCTV shot of the dealer departing out of the toilet, leaving suspense.

British Board of Film Classification

It is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. But a ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

If a work is particularly suitable for a pre-school child to view alone, this will be indicated in the Consumer Advice.

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.

Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them.

The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgement, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult.

No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video work.

The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ videos may not be supplied by mail order.

How does “Nolan” convey ‘Memento’ as a psychological thriller?

Nolan conveys ‘Memento’ as a psychological thriller by using a wide variety of methods. The opening scene lures the viewers into a sense of confusion through the techniques Nolan uses to create mystery and build the tension. The films order is non-linear due to it jumping from one scene to another. The opening scene starts through a Polaroid picture which fades mirroring the memory of the protagonist ‘Leonard’. The title appears bold which makes us think is it trying to make a statement? We also see blood through a close-up shot which could signify death. 

There are two main characters in Memento, Teddy and Lenny. Lenny is the protagonist as he is the leading character and also he comes across as a hero as he is seeking justice. He is very independent and we get the impression he is unable to lead a normal life with society as of his condition.  Teddy comes across as a very orthodox bad guy as he seems very relaxed and calm about committing a serious crime. He seems like a positive and nice character but then we later discover he is corrupt.

The soundtrack is non-diegetic which creates a dark and gloomy effect which adds to the psychological thriller genre perfectly. The orchestral instruments create a real sense of tension as it builds up to the point of action creating as much tension as possible. There is also a drone in the background which creates tension but it could relate to the protagonists paranoia. All the sounds stand out for effect, it could be used to emphasise that he’s killed someone.

Saw 3D Trailer

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810129857/video

Just watched the Saw 3D trailer looks ******* disgusting. Was nearly sick it looked that gruesome but somehow I still want to watch it.

The Happening

Elliot Moore is a high school science teacher who quizzes his class one day about an article in the New York Times. It's about the sudden, mysterious disappearance of bees. Yet again Nature is doing something inexplicable, and whatever science has to say about it will be, in the end, only a theory. Scientists will bring out more theories, but no explanations, when a more urgent dilemma hits the planet. It begins in Central Park. Suddenly and inexplicably, the behavior of everyone in the park changes in a most bizarre and horrible way. Soon, the strange behavior spreads throughout the city and beyond. Elliot, his wife, Alma, and Jess, the young daughter of a friend, will only have theories to guide them where to run and where to hide. But theories may not be enough.





Mis-En-Scene
The first scene starts with a sense of danger as if you know something is about to happen. The behaviour of the individuals is unconventional as we see them freezing and becoming still suddenly. Certian characters then start to walk backwards and begin to kill themselves, this shows unconventional behaviour. This then leaves the audience to wonder why this strange behaviour is happening and leaves mystery in the audiences minds. One women is not affected which also makes the audience wonder why not? We can infer that some sort of virus has caused the behaviour and we can deduce that the fim is a horror film by the actions of the characters and by the dramatic music.

Sound
Th sequence starts with music which projects tension as it is spooky, the music increases to create maximum tension throughout the scene then it haults to create an effect. Because it was an outdoor scene the wind was also used to create tension but it was over exaggerated to enhance it's prominence. A sharp scream is then heard and immediataly the audience is aware that there is danger. We then have dialog from the women who is unaffected from the virus, this adds mystery to the film as she is the only character unaffected while everyone else remains motionless.