Human centipide

The Human centipede is a very difficult film to categorise within the thriller genre. This is because the film is a psychological thriller in one sense as everything within the film is done by humans therefore it leaves the audience feeling fearful that something like this could actually happen. However, due to the science involved it could be a scientific thriller, in particular a biological thriller.

The film is based around two young American girls who are exploring Germany and set off to drive to a local night club. They take a wrong turn on the way, before their car breaks down in a large woods. They refuse a lift from a dangerous looking lorry driver and when he has long passed begin walking, in the rain,  looking for refuge. They come across a large looking house and knock on the door. This house is owned by Dr.Heiter, a known doctor for separating conjoined twins. The doctor pretends he is phoning help for them, but really poisons a glass of water. The girls drink the water which they pass out after drinking.

When they wake up they are in the basement of Heiters house, which has been set up to look like a medical ward with three beds. They try to escape however can not as they are strapped down. Heiter comes down and speaks to a previously caught lorry driver and explains how he is 'not a match' before killing him in front of the girls.

The next time the girls awake there is someone knew in the other bed. This time a Japanese tourist. The doctor explains to them what he is known for and then explains how he wants to surgically connect people to make them share the same digestive system. He explains how he has already done this to dogs, connecting them mouth-to-anus. One of the girls, Lindsay tries to escape and after a long chase round the house where she attempts her escape he captures her and begins his surgery, placing her in the middle for her 'punishment'.

During the surgery the victims knees are altered so that they walk on their hands and knees from now on. There mouths are then stitched to the anus' of the other patients and skin is altered to allow this to happen. The Japanese tourist is the front of the 'centipide' with Lindsay in the middle and Jenny at the back.

Throughout the film police detectives arrive to search the house for the missing tourists. Heiter wishes to use them to replace Jenny at the back as he realises she is dying from blood poisoning, however the detectives do not drink the drugged drink he offers them and leave to obtain a search warrant.

Upon their arrival back they try to conduct a secret search, while this goes on the victims try to make an escape. However, this takes time as they struggle to get anywhere, especially up the stairs being conjoined. The detectives split up and one goes to the pool room where he finds Heiter and is shot. Hearing the gun shot the other detective rushes there and finds his colleague dead in the pool. Heiter comes out of hiding and shoots him in the stomach, to which he responds by shooting him in the head before dying.

Back with the victims, now everyone else is dead, the Japanese tourist at the front claims this is his fate and he deserves this for treating his family badly. He then uses broken glass to slit his own throat. The girls, unable to move, hold hands while Jenny does die of blood poisoning and Lindsay is then left in the middle, unable to do anything.



In my opinion, this film does deserve the 18 rating it received as there are very graphic images shown, especially of blood and when the victims are being fed and having to wait for the food to pass through all of them. I do not think these images are anything anyone under 18 should have a choice to see.

This is not a film I personally enjoyed and it is not something I would have wanted to watch myself as I do not like the idea as a whole or the images I saw. I also do not watch many films of this genre and therefore that is another reason I would not have set out to watch this film.

This film also goes against some  conventions of the thriller genre, for example low key lighting is not often used, and the house itself uses quite bright lighting and all the walls are white reflecting this further.
However there is a main antagonist used which is a key convention of thrillers and there is lots of fast paced editing, especially during the scenes where there are chase scenes.

Trailer of 'The Excorcism of Emily Rose'

Conventions: (What genre is it? How do you know?)
The film is a thriller. This is because typical conventions of a thriller trailer are shown in this. This includes:

• darkness
• eerie 'creepy' music
• demons
• short quick sudden cuts.

The use of demons suggest the trailer to be supernatural, therefore making this film a supernatural thriller.

Film language:

• Fade to blacks are used throughout the trailer. This is a typical convention of a thriller trailer as it creates an eerie atmosphere and speeds the pace of the trailer up. 
• Synchronous diegetic sound is used when there is heavy breathing. This is used to portray the emotion of being frightened. This will make the audience sympathise with the character before tension is built. 
•  Non-diegetic sound of a choir singing is heard when the priest is shown. The priest is carrying out the exorcism, this helps the narrative along but also juxtaposes the demons and the idea of the devil as choirs are seen as innocent religious people. 

 What is the first thing seen? 
The first shot is a high angle shot of the house. This is very stereotypical for thriller trailers that are based in one house as it sets the scene of the story.

How is the film advertised in the trailer?
The main piece of advertising shown in the trailer is the intertitle 'based on a true story'. This creates a feel of realism which creates more fear within the audience as they want to watch the film to see what happens.
 Institutional information is also shown. An audience may recognise directors or actors names from this and want to see the film if they recognise previous names.

What age is this film aimed at? How do you know? 
The film is aimed at people 18+. This is obvious as there are graphic, violent images shown that noone under the age of 18 should see. There does not seem to be a specific gender targeted, which suggests both genders are targeted.

Does the trailer make you want to watch the film?
Although the trailer was well portrayed and gave away the right amount of narrative as to not give any big twists away, I do not enjoy watching supernatural thrillers, therefore I would not go out of my way to go and watch this film. However, if I had been someone interested in this genre of film then the trailer would interest be enough to go and see this.

How many shots are used in total? 
70-80

How long is the trailer?
1 minute 57 seconds

How many settings are shown in the trailer? 
There are 10 in total which are:

1. In the house
2. The prison cell
3. At the park
4. The court
5. In the  church
6. The school
7. The bedroom
8. The kitchen
9. An alleyway
10. A field

Trailer research - The call

What genre is it and how do you know?
The trailer is a psychological thriller. I can tell this due to the fast paced cuts and fast, loud music. I can also tell this as the trailer involves young girls being abducted and killed. This portrays it is a thriller, however it is a realistic thriller that could happen and therefore leaves the audience questioning whether this may happen to them.

Camera
The camera shots throughout the film are short and in a mainly chronological order with a few flashbacks. The camera is constantly jumping between the call centre and the attacks happening.

The camera shots vary in point of view as some are from the victims point of view watching the attacker in the petrol station, while some are from the point of view of the lady in the call centre as she is watching the computer screen. However, the majority of the shots are from a third person perspective.

Sound
 Being a trailer that mainly shows conversations between someone in a call centre and victims of attacks, there is a lot of dialogue involved. This includes speech that is non-diegetic and diegetic dialogue.

The music throughout the trailer is loud, and has fast solo beats. This creates tension as it sets a pace for the trailer. This also makes the audience's heart race as the constant thumping noise creates fear as to what will happen next.

The repetition of the dialogue "its already done" when the call centre lady is on the phone to the attacker is a line that will stick in the audiences mind as when the line is said the second time it flashes back to the other murderer, speeding up the pace again.

Editing
The editing is very fast and jumps between many different shots. There are flashing lights and many fade to blacks before a sudden fast paced scene.

What do you see first and last?
First -  The trailer starts on a black screen with the sound of a phone ringing. This then goes to a birdseye shot of the call centre, with a males voice saying "911 what's your emergency?" before a close up of a computer keyboard flashing to the lead female shown in the call centre saying "911 what's your emergency?"
Last - The last thing seen is the release date of the film accompanied by institutional information and the social media links for the film.

Who is it aimed at?
In my opinion the film would be rated an 18, based on the content of the trailer. I believe both genders would be targeted to watch this film, however mainly females as it is a thriller that is more likely to create fear among them as it is young girls the serial killer is targeting.

Does the trailer make you want to see the film?
Watching the trailer did make me want to watch the film as I want to see what happens at the end of the film, and whether or not they catch the attacker.

How many shots are used?
Around 160

How long is the trailer?
2 minutes 31 seconds

How many characters are shown?
14
The main female call operator
The first girl killed in her house
The second girl who was kidnapped
The man who calls the police
The man who is set on fire in the petrol station
5 other call operators
Policeman, who is a Love interested for call officer
2 other police officers
The kidnapper

How many settings are shown?
9
The call operating room
The first girls bedroom
The first girls hallway
The car park
The roof
The petrol station
The road
The second house
The boot of the car

How many music tracks/sound effects are used?
Phone dialling
Heart beat
2 different tracks of music
The line going dead
The girl screaming
loud crashed between cuts
Car beeping
Window smashing

How many intertitles are used and what information do they share?
There are many different intertitles in the trailer.

Firstly there are intertitles that explain the narrative
'What if you heard the sound'
'Of an intruder'
'What if you heard the cries'
'Of a victim'
'What if your mistake cost someone their life?'
'If you had a second chance'
'To go beyond the call'
'What would you do'
'This March'

Then there are intertitles that give institutional information
'Academy award winner Halle Berry'
'Academy award nominee Abigail Breslin'
'The call'
'March 2013'

Last house on the left

The last house on the left is a story where two young naive girls go into the city and get enticed by a young boy who offers to sell them marijuana he takes him back to his apartment, where they are eventually met by three escaped criminals, the boys dad, his uncle, and his girlfriend.

During their time with the criminals the girls are assaulted both sexually and physically before being put into their car. 

However, the car breaks down not far from one of the girls houses. The girls are taken into the woods and undergo more abuse, until one of the girls try to escape. While the three lead criminals try to escape, the son is left with the girl who's house is nearby. She spends her time trying to convince him to let her leave, however by the time she has convinced him his father is back. She try's to escape and runs to the lake, where she is shot, faced down in the water. 

As night falls, the criminals clean themselves up before going to the girls house. They explain to her parents how their car has broken down and ask to seek hostage in their house for the night until they can get a repair vehicle out to help them.

while they are in the guest room, the mother overhears them all talking about the girls and how they have killed them.

Mari's mother explains the situation to her father and they find her body barely alive. Being a doctor, her father helps her, before the parents set up a revenge scheme against the murderers. Throughout the course of the night the parents fight, and kill the attackers, getting revenge for their daughter and her friend.


There are two versions of this film a 1972 version and a 2009 version. Both films show different aspects of the film.


For example, the more modern film has more modern technologies and therefore the ways of killing the attackers are more gruesome. For example, the leader of the group is tied down with his head in a microwave until it eventually explodes.


The 1972 film was rejected by the BBFC originally and released without classification, which was eventually confiscated by police, before gaining an 18 classification in 2002 when cuts had been made.

The 2009 version was given an 18 classification when released.

Overall, I think the 2009 version is much worse than the 1972 version and shows worse, more graphic images which should cause more controversy than the original film did, however this was not the case.

Watching these films and investigating their backgrounds has taught me different ways in which the BBFC make decisions and why they ban films or classify them an 18.

Thriller film research - Would you rather

I watched the film Would you rather , directed by David Guy Levy in 2012, to particularly look at characters, narrative and settings. This was so that when it came to finding ideas for my own thriller trailer I would be able to see how important these things are to the film and also some stereotypical conventions seen within these.

Narrative 

• The film starts with the audience discovering Iris' brother is very ill and she has come home to look after him. However a donor can not be found. 
• The doctor, a friend of Iris', calls her in for a meeting to say he has found a way to help. When she gets there Lambrick is there and the doctor explains how he 'won' Lambrick's game the previous year and received help he needed and therefore Iris has to play the game and win to receive all the help she needs. Lambrick's game will be held at a dinner party at his house. 
• When Iris gets there she meets a group of other people and they all leave their keys and phone in a room and go through to the dinner party, also at the dinner party is Lambrick, his son and their butler. 
• During the starter a meat dish is brought out and Iris explains how she is vegetarian. Lambrick says she should have told him earlier. He then offers her a large sum of money if she eats it. Iris caves and eats the meat. 
• Next, one of the table members denies an alcoholic drink when offered it. Lambrick realises he is a recovering alcoholic and the man, explains how he hasn't drunk in 16 years. The man is then talked in to drinking for a sum of money and ends up getting very drunk and argumentative before he is shot in the head for arguing. 
• The first round of the game is an electric shock round. The players are strapped up to an electric shock machine and so is the person next to them. They are then given two buttons and told to press one to shock themselves, or the other to shock the person next to them. 
• The second round is where they are offered the chance to do things to each other, for example stab someone in the leg. 
• After this people start dying as the rounds progress.
• Travis ends up arguing with Lambrick's son and this causes him to be punished and everyone gets offered the chance to whip him 3 times across the back or do something worse to someone else. Travis ends up being whipped so many times he passes out and bleeds to death, this causes him to be eliminated from the game.
• When there is a chance to, the remaining players try to escape. Iris is chased around the house by Lambrick's son who attempts to rape her but is stopped by the doctor who is then shot by Bevans, the butler. 
• When Bevans takes Iris back to the dinner party he explains to Lambrick what happened. Lambrick attempts to apologise for Julian, his son and removes him from the game. He explains how Julian's mother died "which is why he is messed up". 
• Round 3 is a case of the known and the unknown. The remaining contestants were given the chance to receive a punishment from an unknown card, or two minutes in a barrel, held underwater. 
• Peter, an ex-gambler, chooses the card and has to hold a firecracker while it blows up. This caused him to have a heart attack which killed him. 
• Lucas also chooses the card and has to split one of his eyes open. 
• Iris chooses to have her head held underwater for 2 minutes. During this time a flashback of her brother talking about a boat is thought about and shown which helps her to get through. 
• Amy chooses the card and is given four minutes under the barrel of water. Lambrick says "how long did it take your husband to drown your daughter?" 
• Amy drowns in the barrel.
• Then it is just Lucas and Iris left. Iris is offered the chance for her and Lucas both to leave with nothing or she can shoot him in the head. He begins to explain his story, however Iris shoots him. 
• Iris gets given the money and gets to return home. 
• When she gets home her brother is dead, he has commit suicide. 

This shows that although there is one main narrative going on throughout the film, at each task a smaller narrative or backstory is discovered.


Characters

• Iris - young girl. Portrayed as helpful as she came back to help her brother. Blonde and white, which is a stereotypical representation of a damsel in distress. First off comes across as strong as she says "i wont do it" when referring to eating the meat, however when she caves in she can be shown as weak or desperate. However as she is the character who survives until the end it shows her strength and power. 
  
• Mr.Lambrick - He is portrayed with a moustache. He is dominant and authorative, as well as rude and mocking as he taunts her for eating the meat. He is also very 'creepy' as the whole game is a deluded idea. 
  
• Iris' brother - He is shown as the weaker sibling due to being ill, which is a countertype as he is the male so would stereotypically be the stronger sibling. He is also portrayed as optimistic as he says " you cant always be the hero, sometimes you have to let go". However at the end of the film it is discovered that this is him hinting that he wants to end his life. 
• Julian (Lambrick's son) - punishing and manipulative, seen when he punishes Travis and when he try's to attack Iris. Scared of his father, this is highlighted throughout the film as he does exactly as his father asks. Very flirty, with Iris and Amy, the two young women.
  
   
• Bevans (the butler) - Known as a previous interrogator for MI5. He is authorative and stern throughout the whole film. He also seems to be emotionless as he shows no signs of weakness during any pats of the events, especially as it is him who carries out most of the tasks for Lambrick. 
  
• Doctor - At first seen as helpful as he offers Iris help. However then when the game is revealed it is questioned why he recommeneded Iris even though he knew what happens in the game. He is then seen as guilty and caring when he trys to rescue Iris, even though he does not suceed. 
• Recovering alcoholic - Strong willed at first as he argues about drinking the alcohol, however then he caves in. After that his addictive personality is shown before he gets drunk and careless which then causes him to argue ending up in him being shot. 
• Cal - nice, not selfish and a gentleman as he says "do what you gotta do" and trys to help everyone else escape, which he gets shot during. 
• Linda - old and weak. She is portrayed as a larger lady and looks like a stereotypical grandmother. 
• Amy - firstly portrayed as selfish as she shocks Linda, the old lady. However she is then showna s independent, not wanting to team up with everyone else. But then clever as she is the first to realise that it is everyone for themselves. She is then shown to be weak and vulnerable as the audience feel pity for her as her husband killed her daughter.
• Lucas - He is portrayed as a true gentleman. This is further emphasized by him saying "im not gonna shock you". He also seems like the most clever and helpful within the group as he is the one that advises people on the best option to take in order for everyone to benefit.
• Peter - Peter stabbed the older lady, even though he originally did not want to. This shows he could be a countertype as he is weak and caved easily.
• Travis - He is very opinionated and argumentative, as well as being defensive. This leads to him arguing with Julian and being punished.

Settings

The film is mainly set in one room in the same house. This is as that room is the dinner party. There is very little in this room apart from the table and chairs, whenever the room is seen low key lighting is used to make it darker and eerier.
There are some other settings at the beginning and end of the film, these are:

• Iris' house
• The doctors office
• The corridors when Julian is chasing Iris
• The hallway when they all go in
• In the car
• The basement

Music/sound

The film starts off to the sound of a drum which sets a steady beat to start the film with a high impact.
Piano are then repeated in a lullaby.
After the dining room is shown there is a long eerie sound played which begins to build tension and suspense within the audience.
After someone has been shot a slow, melodic music is played. This creates the emotions of sympathy and guilt.
The sound of the electric shock machine is asynchronous. This emphasizes the buzzing noise and makes the audience feel fearful of the machine and of Mr.Lambrick.
When Iris is on her way home the crickets chirping create an eerie atmosphere as it dawns on the audience that it is a new day, yet none of the other guests will see this day.
As Iris enters her house it is cold and empty, a whistling noise echoes through th rooms, foreshadowing what is about to come.
When Iris finds her brother dead, the non diegetic sound of her  screaming and crying is heard. This is when the true events of the night finally sink in, leaving a sad feeling with the audience.

Range of shots

During the dinner many of the shots are long and mid shots of the table or the guests eating the dinner. However when anything uncomfortable happens a close up is shown. For example there is a close up of the meat on Iris' plate when she does not want to eat it. There is also a close up of Travis' back when he is being whipped. There is also an extreme close up of Peters face after the firecracker blow up, just before his heart attack.

Research - sound in thrillers

After watching many thriller trailers me and the group were able to understand how music is used in trailers to create an atmosphere, and the type of music this was.

I discovered that trailers often start with reasonably calm music that slowly builds up throughout the trailer as the shots get more intense. This builds tension which eventually erupts with a crescendo of a song. If the tension is not released during a crescendo then the music suddenly stops when something scary or bold happens on the screen, after this it often starts again more quietly but fades out.

I also discovered that trailers use many sounds effects, such as phones ringing. These are used to portray realism which makes thrillers seem more scary.

Diegetic sound is not used as often in thriller trailers, especially dialogue. This is because it may ruin the tension that has been built, so therefore it is better to you non-diegetic sounds added in.


This research was really effective as it has given us many ideas to use in our film, which will further support the narrative.

1408 - Theatrical trailer analysis

When watching the 1408 theatrical trailer, I tried to look out for the generic conventions of a trailer. I wote bullet points while watching to try to get everything written down.
The trailer was 2 minutes 30 seconds long which shows it is a theatrical trailer as trailers are normally shorter.
good trailer but gave away the whole of the film

• Clear narrative
• Everything fits together well
• Effects went well
• Voiceover - helps with narrative
• Repetitive use of title
• Music effective and fits well
• Range of shots
• Range of settings
• Flashbacks
• Few inter-titles
• The camera shots told the story
• There was a fade to black between shots
• 'ghost' was the dead daughter

Trailer gave the film away
Although the trailer was good and detailed, I felt that it gave away a lot of the film and left little mystery to the audience. If the audience feel like they know what is going to happen in the film they will not be entrigued to watch the film themselves.

Clear narrative
The clear narrative is very effective as it makes the trailer less confusing, however I think the narrative was so clear as so much of the story was conveyed, therefore if less of the story had been told then the narrative may have been less clear.

Trailer runs smoothly
The trailer ran smoothly and everything fit together well, this shows that all shots were shown for a purpose and nothing was added in randomly creating confusion for the audience. The trailer fitting together well makes the audience more likely to want to watch the film as it is likely to be clear and easy to watch, compared to a film that jumps about and is confusing.

Special effects
The trailer uses many special effects that were added during editing. Adding special effects to a film is not always advised as they can look unrealistic and make the film look 'tacky' or lower budget, however the special effects in this trailer all looked very realistic and helped to develop the trailer. No special effects that were not needed were added and the trailer looked more successful and high quality because of this.

Voiceover
Voiceovers are often used within trailers to help with the narrative. This is uused here to do this, which is another reason why the narrative is so clear.

Repetitive use of title
The title is repeatedly shown and said in the trailer. This is shown in the number of the hotel room door, this is a repeated theme for the audience and therefore constantly reminds the audience of the significance of this number.

Few inter-titles
"based on story by Steven King" and names of two actors were the only intertitles. The lack of intertitles is effective in a theatrical trailer as there is so much going on that the pace could be ruined by constant inter-titles in the middle.

'Ghost' being dead daughter
This is an idea that is used often in many films. This has caused this idea to become very cliché and stereotypical which means many films may turn out the same.

Conventions of a thriller trailer

Sub-genres within a thriller

The genre thriller is a large genre that contains many sub-genres within it. The most common types of these are:

Generic conventions of a thriller

There are many conventions of thriller films. These are things the audience expect to see in the film.

• Set at night time - Thriller films are often set at night time. This is because things seem more eerie when it is dark and this therefore creates more tension and suspense for the audience.
• Low key lighting - The low key lighting is used as this makes scenes within houses or during the daytime seem eerie and therefore more scary for the audience.
• Fast paced editing - The use of fast paced editing adds suspense for the audience as adrenaline is created through the quick, business of the film.
• Non-diegetic fast paced music - The fast paced music used supports the fast paced editing used. The music being fast paced fits in with the editing and starts to create adrenaline by the audience, which creates tension and suspense that is finally released during the crescendo of the music.
• Makes the audience think - Thrillers are a genre that plays with the audiences mind causing them to create problems that are not there. These problems can sometimes play on the audiences minds after  they've finished watching the film or they could just think about it during the film. This creates fear within them as the problems they create do not exist but it constantly panics them.
• Not always a happily ever after - Thriller films do not always end happily. This is a common thing for thrillers as they are created to be scary and full of tension and suspense and to scare the audience, therefore having a happy ending may ruin the façade created in the film. However some directors choose to have a happy ending as this rounds off the film nicely, leaving more opportunity for a sequel. Some thrillers also make the audience think the ending is nice and happy but then something changes suddenly that scares the audience one final time.

A stranger calls - opening titles

Watching the opening titles and first scene of A stranger calls was really beneficial as I was able to see how producers of films create a mood and set the scene.

Firstly, low key lighting is used throughout the beginning. This automatically creates an eerie atmosphere through the use of dark settings. This is because it plays on the audience's mind by forming a fear of the unknown.

Secondly,  the editing jumps between many different shots and settings at once. This creates mystery, which unsettles the audience, again as the fear of unknown questions what is going to happen next.

Thirdly, non-diegetic sound is used throughout the trailer. Eerie music is used to create an unsettling atmosphere for the audience, which makes them feel uncomfortable. This is further emphasized by screams being added to the sound. This is a sound of fear which therefore worries the audience further.

Finally, a happy image of a fairground is shown. Fairgrounds are a known happy place that young innocent children are found at. However, this is juxtaposed by the eerie music and low key lighting. Making this fairground fearful. Children's innocence is further emphasized by the child's drawing appearing on the door of the bedroom where the dead body is found. This is again, an innocent scene being destroyed by an awful event happening.

analysis of kids trailer

The start of the trailer for KIDS uses the same longshot as is used at the end of the trailer. This shows the characters walking along the side of a busy road full of traffic. This could connote the recklessness of teens to the opposite reading, which is likely to be adults that do not have links to teenagers so therefore do not understand them so they will see them as being careless, by walking down the side of a busy street. However, the preferred or negotiated reading may see this differently as the calm, non-diegetic music emphasises the calm and well behaved personality traits that the teenagers do have and present to their parents and members of the public. The repetition of this scene, and the fact that it goes in a cycle of calmness, then the montage of crazy party scenes, to the calm scene again, further emphasises this point and how the public see teenagers when they conform to society.

The sudden change in non-diegetic sound, as the music changes from calm to a heavy song with a quick tempo, exaggerates the two differences in teenager’s personalities. The personality their parents see and the personality and characteristics they show when they are with their friends. In this example it changes to show new themes such as partying, drugs, sex, violence and rebellion. The editing also changes to create much quicker cuts, making the whole pace of the trailer much faster, which further emphasizes the way teenagers are represented in films. The large contrast in the teenager’s behaviour relates to the audience positioning theory by Stuart Hall. This is because the audience of the film are likely to have a negotiated reading as they will accept the stereotypical representation of teenagers, as they themselves are likely to have seen teenagers acting this way at some point; however they will not agree that all teenagers conform to the stereotypical way in which they are presented.

The teenagers are shown to be equal in the trailer based on gender within the trailer. Stereotypically boys are shown to be the most rebellious characters doing drugs and carrying out violent acts of rebellion, however, a countertype is shown in this trailer instead. This can be shown in two different clips in the trailer. The first is a mid-shot of a female character who is partying and due to the special effect used to make the screen look hazy, we can tell has taken drugs. The second shot is a close up shot of a male character smoking. The comparison between both of these shots connotes how both male and female teenagers both take drugs and rebel. Stuart Hall’s theory also applies to this as the preferred reading are likely to agree with this. On the other hand, Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory applies to this trailer as the females are all pictured in very revealing clothing, which connotes teenage girls to be sexual objects to men.

The uses and gratification theory has four key elements. One of which being personal identity, this is where the audience of a film find links between themselves and the characters. This can be linked to the KIDS trailer as the preferred reading, target audience would identify with characters in the film because this is how they picture themselves.

A mid-shot is shown of a teen girl in a car looking upset. This represents teenagers to be emotional and emphasises how upset they can get. Overall, the trailer represents teenagers to be rebellious and to have two different personalities that they portray to the outside world. It exaggerates the reckless decisions teenagers make when they are not with their family and in the public eye.

Conventions of a film trailer

Mood board

The mood board shows images taken from thriller films or from thriller film posters. These images are mostly all dark colours, showing blacks, greys and whites and the only bright colour is red, a colour that connotes danger. The images are a mixture of images that create fear and people that are feeling fear. I think these are the two things that are repeatedly seen in thriller films. 

As some of these are also film posters this allowed me to research some film posters too. I found that these were mainly coloured red and black and also included one main image with a bold title to accompany it. The main image shown also linked to the narrative of the film in some way, which has shown me that when taking images during filming, I need to consider how these will link to my narrative if they are used in my film poster.

What makes us scared?

Many different people are scared of different things. These can be things that make us jump or on-going phobias that people are constantly fearful of.

These include:

• Heights
• Spiders
• The dark
• Insects
• Snakes
• Different types of animals
• The supernatural
• The unknown
• Dying
• Small spaces
• Strangers
• Clowns

Some people may be scared of things that others aren't and would find being scared of silly. 

Analyzing thriller film titles and logos

The title Ransom suggests money, or hostage's occurring. This is a fitting title for a thriller film as hostage's will usually be shown as a 'chase' and therefore the scenes can be  very fast paced and fitting with the conventions of a thriller. The logo of the title shows silhouettes or shadows of people on a neutral sunset background. The letters of the title are red, a colour that connotes danger and blood, this further suggest the thrilling genre of the film.

The last house on the left is a very fitting title for a thriller film. This is because it creates suspense and mystery as it leaves the audience questioning what is so special about this house. The font used is very bold, yet slightly scratchy making it a good font to connote fear to the audience. All the font is white, which is quite basic, yet the word 'house' is red, connoting danger and making the word stand out. The danger red is further emphasised by the blood splatters seen behind the word.

The title 127 hours does not connote fear to an audience, however it does connote suspense as the audience are left wondering what 127 hour is a time limit for. It also suggests there to be action in the film as the time limit reaches a closing point. The sunset background does not create tension or fear within the audience as it is calm and happy using bright colours such as oranges that connote this.

The title Harrison Ford is the fugitive is again not a title that creates fear or suspense, however it creates mystery as to who is Harrison Ford and why is he the fugitive, it creates the idea of a spy, and therefore the audience would get th idea this film is going to be full of action. The logo is very basic, although all the words are in capital letters and a bold font in the colour white to make them stand out, the only other colour is the black background. This simplicity can make it eyecatching to an audience, however many may find it looks plain and boring.

The next three days is a very simple title in a calm blue colour. The blue background looks slightly like it is underwater, for example in the sea. The simple white text in capital letters connotes purity and innocence. The title suggests there is a time limit which also creates a deadline within the film. This is the part of the title that creates mystery and makes the film seem thrilling for the audience.

 The ring is a very simple title and it follows the structure of the indefinite article "the" followed by a noun. This structure together makes anything seem scary and creates  suspense as it is so simple and leaves no clues for the audience. The image links to the title as it is a ring around the title in what looks like a pool of water with rings rippling outwards.

Panic room is a title that could create suspense within an audience as using the word 'panic' within the title creates fear for an audience. This title also creates mystery for the audience as they question what is in the room that creates panic. The black background with the red writing connotes danger which creates fear, without needing effects.

Shutter island's logo looks as if it represents an island as the sky and land portray this. This highlights desertion and isolation, this is then further emphasized by the bold, red title which connotes danger. Overall i think this logo links with the title of the film and the font is simple and easily readable.









My original thoughts on thrillers

When we first found out we would be studying thrillers I tried to think of some initial ideas that I immediately relate to thrillers.

Film trailer research - Catfish

Catfish is a story where a young man called Nev, finds himself in an online relationship with a very attractive artist. However, he soon realises her Facebook pictures may be borrowed from someone else, he decides this after the recorded sound of her singing seems to be the voice of a known singer.

During the documentary film he discovers that the real identity of the artist is that of a mother, who has given up her career to care for her severely retarded son. He eventually forgives her, understanding these Facebook fantasies are all she has.

• The trailer for the film includes around 70 shots.
• The trailer is 2 minutes 20 seconds long
• there are 6 characters shown in the trailer, these are: Nev, Megan, two friends, Megan's mum and Megan's sister.
• The narrative is based around Nev trying to find a girl he is dating online. This highlights the dangers of the internet world
• There are 4 settings seen in the trailer, which are: Nev's house, a ballet studio, in the car whilst travelling, Megan's farm house
• The music in the trailer starts happy and upbeat which suggest good news and events occurring. However, as the trailer progress' the music slows down becoming darker.
• There is diegetic sound throughout of Nev speaking, this gives the audience more information about the film.
• There are 12 intertitles in the trailer. This is often done by a typing effect where the messages are coming up on screen as they are being typed. Institutional information is also added at the end of the film.

Annotation of a film magazine

Producing a copy of a total film magazine cover

Original copy of total film magazine

The copy of the magazine I made

The original copy of the magazine uses a galazy theme that fits in with the title 'Jupiter ascending'. This theme then had to be recreated when I made my copy of the magazine.

I used adobe photoshop to recreate this film cover. I think the cover I produced is very similar to the original as I tried to keep them as similar as possible, however there were some parts which i found difficult, such as finding the same fonts and the same colours and images.

The background was difficult to find as i had to find a galaxy image that hasd the right amount of stars and similar colours but was not too bright as the original one is not. Finding the fonts was also difficult as the programme I used did not have all the fonts that I needed so I had to search further.

The photoshop software had many different tools  which helped me to recreate the magazine cover. Firstly the 'eyedropper tool' was really beneficial as it allowed me to drop it on a section of colour i wanted and it discovered which colour it was. This is something I did not know how to do before but after finding out how to do it I learnt how much more beneficial it was, especially when i wanted to make sure the colour I used was used througout the whole cover to make sure everything matched.