Different Genres Mood Board

This is a mood board showing a variety of different genres in movies and some films that correspond to these genres. A genre is a vague catogory which films with similar qualities fit into. It is helpful to directors and producers when creating a film to know what genre it is being made to fit into. This is because it allows them to know the conventions that their film should follow and how they can make it unique without ruining the audiences expectations. To audiences it is helpful for them to know the genre because it allows them to make the desicion as to whether they want to watch the film or not. For example if they are lovers of the horror genre and see the film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre advertised to be shown, they will know to watch it as it will contain all the elements of a horror that they enjoy watching and will therefore be entertaining for them. Sometimes genres get too big and confusing therefore forcing the directors to create sub-genres such as romantic comedy, which contains the conventions of both the romantic genre and the comedy genre. This can make it easier for directors when creating a film as it allows them to be much less rigid with the conventions and allows them to use successes and inspirations from many different genres.

Favourite Film Mood Board

Here is a moodboard of a few of my favourite films. They are my favourite films for many different reasons. Some of them have gripping plots, others have amazing actors and actresses but all of them keep me just as interested from start to finish. I can watch them over and over again and never get bored and many of them they have the same affect on the audience whether you are watching it for the first time or the millionth. They all vary in genre but they all have one thing in common, i can enjoy watching them, whatever mood i am in.

Romantic Comedy Mood Board

This is a moodboard of well known romantic comedy movies. Amoungst them are classics such as 'Pretty in Pink' and brand new blockbusters such as 'Sex and the City'. Both sets of films are just as popular amoungst audiences and follow all the conventions of a typical romantic comedy. I am a big fan of romantic comedies as they can make you experience a wide range of emotions when you watch them and although they all follow roughly the same base plot, they are all very unique.

Influential Directors

I decided to do some research into influential directors in both today's film industry and the past. Directors can change the way films are made forever if they cross boundaries and break conventions and yet still create a highly successful film. Many people base their decisions as to whether to watch a film or not on who has directed the film. This is because they can look back at past films they have created and use this to judge whether the film that they want to watch will be good or not. Here are a few directors that really stood out when i was doing my research and many of them are household names amongst both the old and the young.

Tim Burton

Born August 25th 1958. Many people believe him to be the most quirky director of all time. He produces films that have a slight dark and gothic undertone with plots that focus around misfits and outsiders, both physically and mentally, which is a highly unusual thing in the media industry as we tend to prefer to hear about and watch perfect people.

From an early age Tim became very interested in film and the media industry. He found school and life in general very difficult to deal with and in interviews have told people that he escaped from real life by watching various dark horror movies and low budget films. Both Ray Harryhausen's and Vincent Price's films were hugely influential to his career and after school he won a disney scholarship to California Institute of the Arts where he took an animation course. He, however, didn't enjoy his experiences there as his drawings did not fit with the conventional Disney characters as they were too individual.

His first ever movie that he made was 6 minutes long and called Vincent. It was about a young boy who fantasized about being his idol, Vincent Price which was highly ironic as Tom Burton's childhood idol was Vincent Price too. After this there were many ups and downs in Tim's career before he was able to become a recognizable name. The first thing that Tim directed that was a huge mainstream hit was Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. It was made on a budget of $7 million dollars but yet managed to make $20 million at the box office, therefore making a huge profit and becoming highly successful.

After this breakthrough Tim went on to create many successful films that are extremely recognizable to the general public as being unique but yet truely epic films. Some of these films include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands. All of these films were successful and are still being watched often, over and over again as they are considered classics.

Tim Burton's most recent project to embark on is the remake of Alice in Wonderland set to be released in 2010. He has used a range of well known actors and actresses to play the roles with Johnny Depp starring as the mad hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen of Hearts.

Both these stars appear in many of Burton's films with Johnny Depp being in many films such as Sweeny Todd- The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Corpse Bride and Helena Bonham Carter being in films such as The Planet of the Apes and Sweeny Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as they have gained a strong relationship with him and Johnny Depp describes him as 'a brother, a friend, my godson's father' which shows a bond that not many actors are ever able to have with the director. This shows a real uniqueness about Tim Burton and leads me to believe that despite him being a great director, a lot of his success comes from the friendships he has made

growing up and how he uses these friendships to his advantage.

Steven Spielburg

Born December 18th 1946, Steven Spielberg has lived his life and built up an incredible reputation for himself as a director and a person in general. He has been producing box office films since the 1970's and is still going now, producing some well known classics along the way such as Jaws and ET. In 2006 the magazine 'Premiere' named him "the most powerful and influential figure in the motion picture industry" and 'Time' magazine listed him as one of the '100 Greatest People of the Century'. He has not produced copies of the same film and plot lines to make his success, instead he has produced films across many different genres and touched many different themes and that is why he is so highly thought of.

Speilberg began directing when he was in his early teens. He started off making short home adventure movies with his friends which he charged 25 cent admission for them to see. He had already begun making money out of his directing and found it was something he truly loved. Later he used his directing skills to earn him a photography merit badge at Boy Scout's by making using a video camera to tell a story instead of a still one.

At 13 Speilberg won his first prize for directing a 40 minute war movie called Escape to Nowhere and at 16 he wrote and directed his first independent movie Firelight which made $100 profit when it was aired in his local cinema.

Later on in his life Steven Spielberg became a 7-day a week unpaid intern at Universal studios. It was here that he made his first short film for theatrical release called Amblin'. After watching the film, the vice president of production for Universal's TV arm, Sidney Sheinberg, signed Spielberg up to be a television director at Universal studios, therefore making him the youngest director ever to be signed a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio. It was here that his professional directors career took off.

The first movie that Speilberg directed professionally was called Duel about a monsterous tanker truck which tries to run a small car off the road, however his debut theatrical film was called The Sugarland Express about a married chased by the police. Despite it not being successful at the box office, reviewers noticed the skill of Spielberg's directing and described him as "a major new director is on the horizon".

Steven Spielberg was then given the directing chair for the horror film Jaws. It was a huge success and turned Spielberg into a household name over night. The film won 3 Acadamy Awards and grossed a record-breaking $470,653,000 at the box office. From this Steven became one of America's youngest multi-millionaires and this cash helped him on future projects.

Steven Spielberg later went on to direct well known films such as Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park and has been nominated and won many awards for his work. He is still directing films to this day with some of his most recent work grossing big money in the box office and his future projects set to be huge blockbusters. One of his most recent projects he is embarking on is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the sequel to the hit science fiction film Transformers. It is said that this one will follow in the footsteps of the first one and make just a big an impact on its audience. Once again it has Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox starring as the lead roles.

Spielberg's filmography is an endless list of big hits and amazing plot lines that makes him a truly inspirational character. The way that he can continue to produce these timeless films makes him extraordinary and this is why i believe he is one of the most influential directors to ever live.

Alfred Hitchcock

Born 13th August 1899 was an iconic and influential British director. During his life he directed over 50 feature films and had a career spanning for six decades. His work adapted as times changed and he successfully managed to produce films through the silent era right into the colour era. Despite his death he still remains one of the most well-known successful directors ever.

When Hitchcock was a boy much of the treatment he incurred from his father and mother is reflected in his films and some of the characters are inspired by their behavior. After Hitchcock graduated he became intrigued by photography and began to work in film production in London. He begun working as a title card designer for Paramount Pictures but later went on to recieve a full time position at Islington Studios where he designed titles for silent movies.

Alfred's work led him to Germany in 1924 and it was there that he co-wrote the film Die Prinzessin und der Geiger. It was in Germany that he had the chance to direct his first film, The Pleasure Garden but it was so unsuccessful that it threatened his career as a movie director and forced Alfred Hitchcock to bounce back. He came back with his debut film influenced by expressionist techniques that he witnessed in Germany, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog which was a major success.

After this he then went on to direct many successful films, one of his earliest ones being The 39 Steps which is often considered one of the best films from his early period. After having a huge directing success in the UK he decided to risk his luck in America and moved to the United States to persue his directing career. It was here that Hitchcock directed his iconic successes The Birds and Psycho along with many other major movies that are still watched to this day.

The last film that Hitchcock had hoped to direct was called The Short Night but sadly Hitchcock was unable to do this before his death. Instead the script was published posthumously in a book about his last few years.

Alfred Hitchcock died in 29th April 1956 from renal faliure in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California at the age of 80. It was sad to see such a talented director die but he lived a good, long, happy life with his wife Alma Reville and daughter Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell.

Alfred Hitchcock's films draw heavily on both fear and fantasy. His heroines tended to be lovely blondes who seem proper but when put in a dangerous situation react in a surprising, almost animal like way and many of his films showed a struggling relationship between mother and child, often thought to reflect his own relationship. His movies nominated him for many Oscars, some of which, such as Best Picture, he won. Throughout his life he directed many films that to this day are still watched by audiences worldwide so therefore he lives on through the grave as a successful director.

Woody Allen

Born December 1st 1935, he is one of the world's best known directors and actors. His films have made him one of the most respected American directors of all time and holds a very large body of work. He gets his inspiration for his films from literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, European cinema and New York City, where he was born and lived his entire life so he knows it very well.

When Woody was young he was a very comical character and for this reason was popular amoung his class mates. He began writing gags for the agent David O Alber, who sold them to newspaper colomnists, to raise money. At the tender age of 16 Woody was first discoveredby Milt Kamen reading his jokes in the newspaper and was given his first writing job. It was then that he changed his name from Allen Stewart Konnigsberg to Woody Allen. He later went to New York University where he studied communication and film. He was never a very commited student as he had his mind on other things which is why he surprisingly failed his film course and was eventually expelled.

Although his breakthrough film was called What's New Pussycat? he was only involved in the writing and acting of this film. The first film that Woody directed was called What's Up, Tiger Lily? in 1966 in which a dramatic Japanese spy movie was redubbed in English with comical new dialogue. After this he went on to create many well known films such as Take The Money and Run, Everyone Says I Love You and Manhatten, which was a black and white movie set in New York City which was said to be the main charcter of the movie as it was depicted so well and made the audience focus on it. In many of these later films he starred in, directed and wrote or co-wrote which made him stand out from many other directors of that time. One of his most recent Hollywood blockbusters was Match Point starring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys-Mayers. It is one of his most successful modern films made in 2005, grossing more than $62 million in the international box offices. It was a unique piece for Allen as he moved his focus from the the streets of New York city to focus on the upper class society of London. This shift payed off as the film was nominated for best directing and writing at the Golden Globes and and Acadamy Award for best writing, his first since 1998. When Allen was interviewed by 'Premiere' magazine he stated that it was the best film he had ever made.

During his career Woody Allen has been nominated for and won many awards for his directing, acting and writing, all of which he are equally as skilled at. Some people have written films and stories about him due to his fascinating and successful life. His love for jazz music features a lot in his films and he named his two adopted children with wife Soon-Yi Previn after two famous Jazz musicians, Sidney Bechet and Manzie Johnson.

Allen's latest film he is directing is called Whatever Works. It is aimed more at the older audiences and stars Evan Rachael Wood, Emma Thompson and Larry Davis. It is set to be released in 2009.

The extraordinary thing about Woody Allen is that he is not only focussed on the directing of his films but he also stars in them and is involved in the acting. He is a man of many talents and thats what makes him stand out from other directors. Everything he does he does successfully despite all the hard work and effort involved. He has built up a respected image for himself and that is why i think he is one of the most influential directors of all time.

Martin Scorsese

Born November 17th 1942, Scorsese is a acadamy award winning American film director. His work is based heavily on contraversial issues such as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo and the violence endemic to American society. Martin Scorsese is named one of the most significant and influential film makers of his era and as earned himself an MFA in film directing from NYU's School of Arts. He is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation and has recieved the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contribution in film. These along with many BAFTA's, Golden Globes and being the president of the Film Foundation make Martin a cut above the rest and truly stand out as an outstanding director.
Martin was born and raised in New York City by his father, a clothes presser and his mother, a seamstress. When he was a child his father often took him on regular visits to the movie theatre and it was at this stage in his life that he found his love for cinema. At this age he developed a passion for neo-realist cinema and has later said that The Bicycle Thief, Paisa, Rome and Open City all inspired him and influenced his way of thinking towards his Sicilian heritage. Scorsese originally wanted to be a priest but this was soon taken over by his interest in film. He attended the NYU Film School and it was here that he won his MFA in film directing in 1969.
During his time at the NYU Film School he made many short films such as What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This? and The Big Shave which was one of his most famous short movies of that time. At the same time as making these short movies he was also producing his first feature length film. It was a black and white movie called Who's That Knocking At My Door and was about a trouble male protagonist. This was the start of what was to come, showing off a unique "Scorsese style" that would be used in many of his later films.
During the 1970's, Martin made another film called Boxcar Bertha which although wasn't a huge sell out, taught Scorsese the vital lessons he needed to learn, how to make movies quickly and cheaply which set him on his way to making his first major box office movie, Mean Streets which starred famous actor Robert De Niro. The two have been collaborating ever since and are now firm friends.
After this breakthrough, he directed several other successful movies that were just as big in the box office such as Taxi Drivers and Goodfellas. All of his films featured the typical "Scorsese style" with the macho posturing, bloody violence, gritty New York mise-en-scene, Catholic guilt and redemption, rock soundtrack and speedy editing and he became well known for this individual style. In a way these became his conventions that he had to follow when making a film otherwise it would not live up to the audiences expectations.
Some of Scorsese's more recent movies include The Aviator and Gangs of New York which were both highly successful and nominated for many awards, most of which were for best director. In the future Scorsese is said to be working on a piece based on Shusaku Endo's masterpiece novel, Silence, about two Portuguese Jesuits amoung persecuted Christians in 17th Century Japan. It is said to be released in 2010 but no more is being revealed.
Over the years Scorsese has built up an impressive portfolio of work with big hit films in the box office all the time grossing huge amounts of money and many awards to show off his talents. It would be an understatement to say that Scorsese is just another talented director as i feel his skills are far more impressive and influential than many other directors and that is why i believe him to be one of the most influential directors.

The Coen Brothers

Joel Coen born November 29th 1954 and Ethan Coen born September 21 1957 are known professionally as 'The Coen Brothers'. Although they both direct and produce their films together, up until recently Joel recieved credit for directing and Ethan for producing. In the film industry they are known to many as 'the two headed director' as they hold very similar visions with films and when questioned they both give the same answer. Although people may believe that sharing the same career as your brother may not be the best thing, it has proven that you can achieve great success and to allow equality when it comes to crediting films, they sometimes label themselves under the joint name Roderick Jaynes.
When they were boys, Joel was the first brother to begin his journey to becoming a director. He used to mow peoples lawns in their neighborhood to get money for his Vivitar Super 8 camera. Once he had earned enough money the brothers collaborated with another neighborhood friend and they begun making remakes of movies that they had seen on the television.
After they graduated from their High School, Joel went on to become an undergraduate in a film program at the New York University where he made a 30 minute thesis film called Soundings. Ethan, however, went to Princeton university where he earned an undergraduate philosophy degree. Once Joel had graduated he became a production assistant for industrial films and music videos. It was here that he gained a talent for film editing.
In 1984, the brothers wrote and directed their first film together called Blood Simple. It was about a bar owner who hires a private detective to kiss his wife and her lover. It recieved much well deserved praise when it was released and won awards for Joel's directing at the Sundance and Independent Spirit awards. This movie was a glimpse into what was to come of the Coen brothers.
Since their first success they have continued to write and direct movies together. Some of their most well known ones are Barton Fink, which gained many Oscar nominations and won 3 major awards at the Cannes Film Festival, and No Country For Old Men, which was also nominated for many awards and won 4 Academy Awards. Another of the Coen brothers films that has just hit the big screen was called Burn After Reading. It is a black comedy starring Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and George Clooney about an ousted CIA official's memoir accidently falling into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find. In its opening weekend the film grossed $19.1 million in the USA and Canada ranking first at the box office. Since then that has increased to a staggering $51.64 million and is still extremely popular in cinemas worldwide.
The brothers have a few more films up their sleeves that they are planning to release in the future. One is called A Serious Man which is said to be based loosely on their own childhoods. They are currently filming it at the moment and hope to release it in 2009. Another project they are set to embark on is the remake of the 1969 film True Grit which will begin to be made in 2010.
Overall i think the brothers prove that two heads are better than one and that great minds really do think a like. Many people argue that they have it easy because they are a team but i feel that true success is just as hard to achieve both on your own and in a team and i think they have become very successful, producing many outstanding films. I think they are two extraordinary individuals and together they are even more inspirational.

Quentin Tarantino

Born March 27th 1963, Quentin Tarantino is a legendary film director all around the globe. He rose to fame in the early 1990's as a filmmaker who broke the boundaries. He used non-linear storylines and aestheticization of violence. Since his breakthrough he has just become more and more famous producing many well known films. His hard work has earned him many Acadamy, BAFTA, and Palme D'or awards and nominations for both Emmy's and Grammy's. Along with these he was also named 12th greatest director of all time in 2007 by 'Total Film' magazine.
Son of Tony Tarantino, an actor and amateur musician, he always had the film industry in his blood. At the age of 16 Tarantino dropped out Narbonne High School in California and went on to learn acting at the James Best Theatre Company. This section of his life was highly influential in his movie making career. At the age of 22 he then went on to get himself a job at Manhatten Beach Video Archives where he spent all day discussing and recommending films to customers.
Tarantino later met Lawrence Bender at a Hollywood party, who encouraged him to write a screenplay. This encounter led to the release of Quentin's film Reservoir Dogs at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1992. Although Quentin wasn't the sole director of this hit film, he wrote the script in 3 and a half weeks and begun him on the road to success as his name became globally recognized as the film was so critically acclaimed. After this he was offered many directing opportunities for films such as Speed and Men in Black but he turned all of them down so that he could move to Amsterdam and work on the script for his second major hit film, Pulp Fiction which was released in 1994 and once again became hugely popular worldwide.
Since these two major movies, Quentin has gone on to direct other major box office hits such as Kill Bill Volumes 1&2. It was a 'revenge flick' in the cinematic style of Chinese martial arts, Japanese period cinema, Spaghetti Westerns and Italian horror. It was based upon a character and plot that himself and leading actress, Uma Thurman, had developed during the making of Pulp Fiction.
At the moment Tarantino is currently working on a project called Inglorious Basterds said to be released in 2009. It is the story of a group of guerilla U.S. soldiers in Nazi occupied France during the 2nd World War. It is set to be just as big a hit as his many other films.

As well as being a tremendous and quirky director, Tarantino also writes, produces and acts in many of his films. This shows that he plays a huge part in the media industry and is a highly talented man. His life revolves around film and television and he continues to make films that are popular now and will be for a long time to come with both the young and old generations. I think this along with his skills make him one of the most influential directors of our time.

Horror Mood Board

This is a mood board of iconinc images and scenes found in horror films. Many of the images are easily recognisable and people instantly associate them with the horror genre because of the characters, colours and action involved in them. I used this mood board to inspire my thinking.

Miss Thrasher's Homework 3

Plots

We each had to come up with our own plot idea which we then copied and gave to everyone in the class. We were then asked to chose actors and actress's for everyones plot that we thought would fit with the roles that were in the film and come up with an appropriate title for it. Here are my plot, and my two favorites from the class:

Plot 1 - 'Rouge Election'

This was my plot about a girl who grows up wanting to be a Moulin Rouge dancer but her roller-coaster life takes her on a different path. We chose Hallie Berry to star as the main character as we thought she fitted the part perfectly as she is very versatile and her appearance fits with the general storyline. We felt that she could just as easily fit in with the posh section of the story as with the struggling section of the story and therefore would make the plot more plausible. We then came up with the title 'Rouge Election'. This was because we felt it tied in both aspects of the girl in the plots life. The 'Rouge' part linking to the Moulin Rouge loving part of her life where her dad abused her and her childhood was difficult and the 'Election' part of it linking to the USA president part of her life where everything is perfect and her parents adore her. It brings them both together much like how the plot brings these things together but the fact that they don't normally fit together shows just how un-natural the togetherness is and how forced it is, much like how it is in the plot as she is forced to become something she is not. We then came up with the tag-line for this film. We decided on 'Two dreams, one life.' We felt that it informed the audience of the plot but didn't give too much away so it created an enigma. It also anchored the title as the audience could then work out that word came from the different dreams and that putting them together represented the one life. It also tells the audience that the film is going to be rather dramatic and serious but yet still glossy as the tag-line is very gritty and to the point but contains the word dreams which people associate with the fantasy genre or something very magical and lovely which again shows the two aspects of the girl in the plots life as her childhood is rather dark but then her later life is quite glamourous.

Plot 7 - 'Wingills'

This plot really caught my eye when i read it as it was so unusual. It was the one set in the post apocalyptic future with evolved human beings. We decided to cast Ben Stiller as the main human being and Bruce Willis as the evil human being. We chose Ben Stiller because despite the film not originally intending to be comical, we felt that it could easily be made into one and with Ben Stiller as the lead could be very successful. He is a well known actor for comical movies and we felt that if we wanted to turn this plot into a comedy our best option would be to cast Ben Stiller as the main role as he instantly brings a comical value to the film. We also felt his general appearance fitted with plot as he seems like he would be able to battle against other humans but not as if he had been purposely built for it which makes the storyline more believable. He is also not too young or too old. Bruce Willis seemed to fit the role of the evil dictator because he has a very menacing look about him and can do stern expressions very well. Unlike Ben Stiller, his body image looks as if it has been created for fighting therefore would make him the perfect enemy. He is not a conventional comical character but we thought this would make the film more funny because having one extremely funny character against a very serious character creates humor and could be successful. Bruce Willis has also starred in a lot of other fighting movies so therefore he would easily fit into the part without much coaching or training. We then went on to come up with a title for the film. We decided to call it 'Wingills'. We felt that this tied in well with the comedy aspect of the film and audiences would immediately know that it is not a serious film they are about to watch. It also brings in aspects of the film as all the humans have wings and gills and this word is a mixture of the two. We thought it was a funny but clever play on words. We then came up with the tag-line 'Its because they have wings and gills.' to match this. Despite it being a fairly stupid tag-line and fairly obvious we thought it added to the comedy genre we were trying to create and it lets the audience know what the characters are going to be like in the film before they have seen it. It ties in well with both the title and the film, explaining both the plot and what the title is supposed to mean so overall we felt it was a laughable but informative tag-line, much like most other conventional tag-lines.

Location Research

In film, the setting and location is very significant and it can either make or break a film. It tells us a lot about the film itself, its genre, the time its set, the characters that are going to be involved and sometimes even its target audience. It sets up the audiences expectations and lets the know what they are about to watch and whether they want to watch it. Here are a few locations which are dominant in certain genres:

Location 1 - School

This location is usually used in either the chick flick genre or teen genre. It immediately tells the audience that teenagers and children are going to be the main roles in the film and that the story will probably be based around a problem at school or problems the school pupils in general face. Most of the time the establishing shots of schools are from the front with grass at the front then big wooden double entrance doors. There always seems to be trees and shrubs lining the pathway leading up to the doorway and steps going inside. Whenever the audience see a long shot of a location like this we can easily recognize it as a school because it fits with the conventions. Most of the time the schools used are American so this is what we would expect to see from an American school campus. Also many shots of the front of the school involve seeing a yellow American school bus. Although this wouldn't be significant to an English school film, the audience can immediately relate it to an American school as it is a very iconic image and a representative symbol of the American schooling system.

Inside the school the corridors are always narrow and dull. The scenes that are shot in them are always filled with people and it always seems noisy and chaotic. The halls are always lined with grey lockers. Many of the scenes are shot around the characters lockers as people associate this as the 'cool' place to hang out. Also the audience can find out a lot about the character from their locker as in most films they are decorated with pictures and things which reflect the characters personality for example in High School Musical 2, Sharpay's locker is decorated in pink with a giant mirror showing she is self obsessed and very girly.

The canteen is another place where many of the scenes are shot. The canteen seating arrangement tells the audience a lot about the characters roles within the school and it can also help predict any future conflicts that may occur. For example in 'Mean Girls' each different clique sits at a different table and who you chose to sit with at lunch determines your clique. The canteen is always very stereotypical with food being on the trays and the tables being able to seat many people. The audience can instantly recognise the location as a canteen because of the layout of the area and how the character's act in it. We expect to see people eating off of trays around tables when we think of canteens, it is our stereotypical view, so this is what the directors try and match up the real scene too as to make it much more identifiable as a canteen.

The classrooms, despite being in a school, are never really as significant as the hallways and canteen. We assume as an audience that this is because much of the conversation takes place outside the classroom in the hustle and bustle as inside the classroom we believe the characters to be working. The room is always laid out in the same way with the single desks all facing the teachers desk and board at the front of the class. Where the characters sit in the classroom also plays some significance to their role inside the school. The audience always make the assumption that the naughty pupils will be near the back, the day dreamers by the window and the teachers pets at the front.

These factors all help to set up the location as a school and to make it seem as real to the audience as possible so that when we watch the film it makes the story more plausible and believable.

Location 2 - Woods

This is an iconic location for a horror movie and when we see an image of a wood we immediately associate it with the horror genre.

The establishing shots of woods are normally from LS, low angle and shot straight at it so that the audience can get a real sense of the denseness of the trees and how disturbing they are. It places us into the characters shoes which makes it more scary for the audience and makes us more involved in the film. From these establishing shots we can identify straight away that this is going to be a creepy film and that bad things are going to happen to the characters involved. We want to get inside and warn the characters because of their naivety so therefore it makes the audience more involved from the very beginning as the setting is so recognizable.

The woods used in these films normally contain trees that are tall and think leaved. They seem menacing and scary and as if you are venturing into the unknown. It adds to the tension created by the other elements of the film and makes it even more scary because in a wood you are venturing out of the openness and the audience are then left asking the questions 'Who could be lurking behind the next tree?'.

The fact that a wood is so closed in but yet such a vast space also adds to the suspense and terror of the horror film which is why it is so often used. The fact that it gives the illusion that the characters are trapped in a confined space but yet the audience know that if they tried to run away they wouldn't get very far because it is so dense and huge. It gives the sense that once you are in there you can never get out which makes the film more dramatic and chilling.

In films such as 'The Blair Witch Project' the entire film is based around the notion that woods look the same no matter where abouts you are in them and you can easily get lost. It also is based around the fact that you don't know who could be in there with you because you cannot see across the entire scope of it, just short distances because your vision is impaired by the trees. It creates tension and suspense and the audience become more frightened because they too do not know what to expect. It is all very eery and spooky and creates a certain atmosphere which gets the audience in the mood for what is about to happen.

Many films which are set in woods normally contain a long, narrow road leading into it. This gives a sense of confinement and claustrophobia which the audience can immediately relate to and know that something bad is going to happen inside these woods. It gives the sense that the characters are trekking deep into the unknown and will more than likely never find there way back.

When the directors chose the location they take all these factors into account and for a horror film, shooting it in a wood seems like an appropriate location to create as much drama as possible. Over time, as it has been used so much for this particular genre, it is now recognised as the stereotypical horror setting.

Location 3 - Saloon

We can instantly recognize a saloon setting as being part of a Western as they are commonly set in the American frontier where saloons are an iconic element. This immediately tells the audience that the film is going to involve cowboys, shooting and other typical elements of a Western therefore telling the audience straight away that if they like Western's they should watch the film.

The saloon doors are very iconic images in a Western. As soon as the audience see a shot of the saloon doors we can instantly tell that the film is set in a Western setting and in fairly old times. They are recognisable and unique to the Western genre therefore the director puts them in as to make sure the audience know what they are about to watch and will find it hard to confuse it with another genre.

Establishing shots of the saloon are usually done in these films to set the scene. The audience can really get a sense of where it is set and the type of town it is from the way the saloon looks and the events which occur in and around the saloon. For example if there is an establishing shot of the saloon and it all seems deserted it shows the audience that it is an eery town with very little going on, whereas if there was an establishing shot of the saloon and there were drunken people coming out and lots of dancing girls we would know that the town is very roudy and lots of trouble probably occurs in it. These establishing shots are normally LS and straight at it so therefore we can see as much of the saloon and surrounding scenery as possible.

The setting inside the saloon is usually the same from film to film. It is mainly all made out of wood with a long bar and bar stalls along the back wall. Around the place there are normally a few wooden tables and chairs. It is made to feel old and antique so that the audience know that they are watching a film set in Western times. The action always takes place around the bar, inside the saloon, which connotes to the audience that many of the problems occur while under the influence of alcohol and that the bar is a central place in the town.

Sometimes the camera draws attention to the decoration on the walls by using CU and ECU. This tells the audience that these decorations are relevant to the story or setting and they are usually an animals skull or trinket that the owner of the saloon or leader cowboy has collected and put up on the wall. It tells you a lot about the person who it belongs to and sometimes can tell the history of the saloon or town itself. In Western films this history can be very relevant to the storyline because sometimes this is where the conflict between the characters comes from.

The director along with the actors work together to create a particular mood for the saloon so that the audience feel specific things when they see it. This can set up the film and its plot and warn the audience what is instore for them if they continue to watch on.

Character Research

Captain Jack Sparrow

Captain Jack Sparrow was played by Johnny Depp in the films 'The Pirates of the Caribbean'. Many people believe that he made the films the successes they were as he took playing the role to a unique level basing it on the edgy rock star, Keith Richards.
To make him seem like a true rugged pirate he was given dreadlocks and his skin and clothes always looked dirty and unwashed. To the audience this connotes uncleanliness which is what we would expect to see from a pirate. It gives it a sense of realism even though we all know that pirates like Captain Jack do not exist.
When there are ECU shots of his hands you see him wearing many gold rings. These are supposed to connote to the audience that he is a very good thief and that he wouldn't be able to afford them by buying them as only wealthy people would have been able to own jewelry like that in those days, therefore he must have stolen them from people on his travels. It shows the audience snippets of his cunning personality without having to tell it in the story.
The way Johnny Depp plays the character of Jack Sparrow tells us a lot about his personality. He is played in a very laid back, blase way which to the audience connotes he is very care-free. He always acts as if he is doing things spur of the moment and hasn't really though them through properly. This tells us that he is no ordinary pirate but instead quite quirky and flamboyant.
However as the film progresses Jack Sparrow's desicions and choices do not seem so mad after all because they do end up leading the characters to success. This tells the audience that despite his relaxed and eccentric attitude to situations he is a clever and skilled pirate and does know what hes doing.
The characterisation of Jack Sparrow is not nessicerily what we would expect to see in a pirate as we would normally expect them to be more serious and menacing without any emotions apart from anger and hate. However Johnny Depp's breaks all these conventions when he plays Jack Sparrow and he does so very successfully. He does not move to far away from the 'typical' pirate image but yet far enough away to create a unique, fun character that the audience build up a relationship with and can love, unlike pirates in other films where the audience are just onlookers and do not really get involved emotionally.
There are many ECU, CU and MCU shots of Jack Sparrow displaying his emotions and quirky facial expressions. The director has done this because Johnny Depp's facial expressions when playing the role tell a lot about the character of Jack Sparrow. They tell the audience a lot about what he is feeling and thinking because he has very obvious, expressive facial expressions. The framing of these shots are tight because the directors want to draw attention to these emotive expressions and make us notice them. It therefore tells the audience what hes feeling without having to add in speech and sometimes creates lots of humour because they are such dramatic expressions that show us exactly his views at a particular point.
When there are Mid Shots and LS of Jack, these are to show off his eccentric movements, the scenery and his tatty clothes. They are usually establishing shots to set the scene for the audience making them understand the story and situation more. It also shows the audience the whole persona and image of Jack Sparrow, his actions and his clothes, and how they fit with his wacky personality. It creates a 3 dimensional character so that the audience can feel as if they are watching a real person with the elements of a real person rather than a made up character.

Forrest Gump

Tom Hanks played the character of Forrest Gump in the successful comedy film 'Forrest Gump'. It was both emotional and laughable at the same time due to the character of Forrest and the acting of Tom Hanks to create such a deep character. The film is based around the life of Forrest Gump as he is not a regualar human being as he does not hold the same intellegence as them. Tom Hanks creates a character which is truely fascinating and keeps you watching for hours.
Forrest in many scenes is seen wearing beige chinos, a plaid shirt and a beige jacket. His clothing is not always appropriate for where he is and it makes the audience feel sorry for him as we know he cannot help it and that his intentions are really good. They are very plain, simple clothes which reflect his personality which isnt very complex. It connotes to the audience that he is a very basic person and doesn't really care about his appearance.
The character of Forrest, although the audience cannot personally relate to him or the problems he faces in his life throughout the film, the way he acts makes the audience feel sorry for him and emotionally connect with him. We can tell that he is a very naive, innocent person and from many of the things he says he doesn't really understand much about the world. From this the audience can take pity on him and when bad things do happen we can side with him as we believe he is the less fortunate one in every case. When he is talking many of the shots are either CU or MCU so that the audience can really see his facial expressions and can therefore react to what hes doing and saying. It draws attention to him and therefore, despite some of his comments being funny, we laugh at them rather than at him because from his facial expressions the audience can tell that he thinks what he is saying really does make sense. It makes us empathize with him because it brings us as an audience closer to him and gives us a more personal role. It makes us think how we would react if we were in the position of the other character talking to him.
The way Forrest acts tells the audience a lot about his character. He is talented at things which many people cannot do yet he takes it as a pinch of salt. But despite him being talented, he lacks the basic intelligence of an average human. Many of his actions are done through the kindness of his heart, which is shown most of the time with him doing something extremely heroic but yet to the audience it was stupid and risky. Tom Hank's plays the character in a very blank way so that when he carries out these actions he seems as if he has no thoughts or emotions running through his head. He has a blank expression and doesn't listen to the other characters if they are advising him otherwise. This connotes to the audience that it is not his head leading him through all these decisions but his heart which makes us warm to him and almost want to mother him as we know that he is very vulnerable.
Throughout the film we hear his story from his point of view with a narrative voice over. The audience can therefore relate to him much more as we know exactly how he was feeling at specific points in the story and as his storytelling is so simple and unexaggerated it makes the story a lot more comical as most of the time what is going on in the scene is so much more dramatic than what he is narrating. It is as if his version of the story is a very dumbed down, modest version which makes the audience warm to him a lot more as we prefer to make our on judgements on his achievements rather than him telling us they were fantastic. The narrative voiceover gives us an insight into him as a character which gives the audience a more personal relationship with him, therefore when things to occur in his life we almost want to protect him and sympathize with him because a bond has been built up throughout the film as he is sharing things with the audience.

Elle Woods

Elle Woods was played by Reese Witherspoon in the films 'Legally Blonde'. The characters personality and traits formed the base of a box office hit.
The film was built up around the fact the Elle Woods is a stereotypical american blonde who is quite ditzy and girly but yet holds qualities which make her stand out from the others. These parts of her personality are shown to the audience via what Elle says and how she acts.
Throughout the film we are constantly reminded of Elle's girly side with her obsession to pink. Everything she wears and everything she owns seems to be pink and there is even a famous line from the film 'Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed'. These things connote to the audience that she is a very stereotypical girl, being in love with pink. It tells us that she is quite innocent and young at heart because normally you associate a love of pink with a little girl. This makes the audience empathise with her a lot more and also turns her into a more cute and loveable character.
Elle's clothes are all bright colours in contrast to the lawyers dull coloured, formal clothing. It shows the fun, bubbly side to Elle and tells the audience that she is very out there and doesn't like to go un-noticed. The directors have purposely done this to make her stand out from the crowd. It connotes that she is different and not your regular stuck-up clever student. In a way it singles her from the rest of the group and the audience can notice this isolation a lot more with the different fashion sense. It makes the audience feel sympathy towards her because we can tell immediately that she just is not going to fit in without the character's even having to say or do anything.
Most of the scenes in the film have Elle carrying her Chihuahua , Bruiser, around in her handbag. This is a very stereotypical thing for an air-headed blonde to do and it adds to the side of her character that is very iconic and not unique. However it also tells the audience that Elle is a big fan of animals and this plays a huge part in 'Legally Blonde 2'. When the directors do want you to focus on the fact that she carries her dog around they always film her in either Mid Shot, MCU or MLS. This is because the audience aren't so close that you can't see the dog at all but yet close enough as that you can tell what type of dog it is, where Elle is carrying it and their expressions and reactions to certain things. We are also close enough to notice that Elle dresses her dog up so that he colour co-ordinates with her own outfit, another very typical girly thing that most people would associate with american, young, famous girls like Paris Hilton.
Elle's general appearance tells the audience a lot about what she is like as well. For example many of the law students at Harvard do not bother to dress nicely for class, however Elle always looks as if she has made a conscious effort and looks fashionable and immaculate all the time. This tells the audience that she is very concerned about the way she looks and she obviously cares just as much about her appearance as her studies. Many scenes during the film are of Elle pampering herself in someway while talking about a law case and the director uses these scenes to emphasise the fact that she looks at the two things as being of equal importance whereas most of the other students see law as being their first priority, again showing the divide between her and the school.
The fact that Elle Woods also has blonde hair plays a big role. Many people believe that blonde hair makes you stupid and fashion obsessed. On one hand Elle fits well with these assumptions as she is made out to be very ditzy and involved with her looks by the way that she carries round her dog everywhere and by how she acts. For example, she does the iconic head tilt that signifies she is confused and the director draws attention to these movements with the framings of the camera being in either CU or MCU. It makes the audience notice them more and therefore we can pick up on them and immediately identify them as part of the stereotypical 'dumb blonde' character. However on the other hand, she becomes a very successful lawyer which goes against the stereotype and breaks that boundary. This catches the audience by surprise in someway because Elle's appearance and the way Reese Witherspoon plays her sets her up to be a failure but when she achieves her goal we see her in a different light and gain a whole new respect for her.
A good way to describe the character of Elle Woods at the beginning of the film is like a barbie doll. On the surface she seems perfect and immaculate but on the inside she is hollow and empty. Reese Witherspoon creates a character to the audience where the only thing that matters to her is what is on the outside and not that she lacks intellegance. However as the film progresses she breaks free of the plastic mould and becomes a person in her own right. She learns that there is a lot more to life than just looks and boyfriends and she finds this through law and meeting a new guy. These changes are reflected in the way Elle acts and dresses and the audience can begin to empathise and react to her as they feel she is more human rather than fake. We begin to notice just how kind a heart she has and how deep inside she is quite intelligent. We gain an audience relationship and bond with her because instead of being the stereotypical character at the beginning that we can't really relate to into a deep character with many different sides, like a normal human being, so we as an audience get a bigger sense of realism and can therefore emotionally attach ourselves to her.

Research on Shot Continuity

We were asked to watch film clips and indentify different techniques used to create continuity so that the sequence of shots makes sense to the audience. For my first clip i chose to watch the bike scene from Charlies Angels Full Throttle. I chose this scene because i feel the way it is edited adds to the whole effect and it needs to be shot in a certain way to make it make sense as it is such an action packed scene.

At the beginning of the scene there is a ECU of the motorbike wheels spinning up dirt and then a CU of the motor bikes driving off. This is an example of matched cut and use of shot order. The matched cut is created because the first shot is of the bikes just driving off and the second one is also of them just driving off. This therefore tells the audience that no time has passed between the two shots and that the are continuous. It makes sense because if in one shot they are just starting up, they wouldn't have gained full speed by the next shot. Also the use of shot order is created because it jumps from ECU to CU which is a gradual change in camera position and not a huge jump across space. It makes for an easier viewing experience for the audience.
When the bad guy kicks a person's bike off the course there is a shot from in front and then a shot from behind. In both shots the bad guy is slightly behind the person's bike that he kicks. This is another example of a matched cut because it shows that things haven't changed between each shot and that they are a continuous sequence. It also doesnt confuse the audience as it makes sense that he is in the same position in both shots.
When the bike is kicked you see a shot from behind the bike of it crashing next to a parked lorry. You then see profile shot of the bike as it crashes onto the ground. In both shots it crashes in the same place, next to the lorry on the right of it. This again is matched cut because the sequence makes sense due to the way it has been cut. In both shots the lorry is there and the bike has crashed in the same place therefore the action is believeable to the audience.
Later there are a sequence of shots of people jumping on their bikes. It shows these jumps from many different angles and distances, however in each shot the bike and rider are in the same position we left them in from the shot before. This therefore creates a chronological sequence that the audience can understand and they can therefore believe it is happening. It is less confusing for the audience and makes the sequence more realistic as we know that you would not be able to change position in the space of a cut on a bike. It also tells the audience that no time has passed since the last shot, it is just a carry on.
There are mid shots of Cameron Diaz going over bumps in the bike course and then it cuts to a long profile shot showing her bike going over these bumps. This is a matched cut as one shot leads onto the next shot seamlessly and both shots show the same action taking place.
There is a LS of Cameron Diaz going over a jump on her bike from behind then the camera cuts to a MCU of Drew Barrymore and Lucy Lou putting on their motor cycle helmets and starting up their bikes. This is an example of cross cutting as the audience know that both actions are occuring simultaneously but at different places. It links the characters without having to tell the two stories one after the other. It makes it make more sense to the audience.
Throughout this scene of Charlie's Angels the director uses these continuity techniques so that when the audience watch it they barely notice the editing and it seems smooth. To us it looks perfect as it fits with the conventions and our expectations.

The second scene i chose to look at was from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Violet Beauregard eats the chewing gum as although it is a make believe story, the way it is shot and edited makes it seem plausable to the audience.

The scene begins with Mid Shots of the characters talking up to Willy Wonka. When we then see a Mid Shot of Willy Wonka he is looking down at the spot that we would expect the group of characters to be. This is matched eyeline because although the audience cannot see both sets of people at the same time their eyelines in each shot match up perfectly so we can guess where abouts the other person would be in the scene. It makes sense to the audience as the way the actor is looking seems plausable to them as this is where they would expect the other person to be.
There is a CU shot of Violet putting the chewing gum into her mouth, then a CU shot of her mother and then it cuts back to the CU of Violet chewing the gum. This is a shot reverse shot. The camera changes position to show each of the characters in the scene and their reactions to what the other person is saying however it does not show them both in the same shot. The audience have to assume they are talking to each other from the direction they are talking and their eyelines. As Violet is talking upwards off camera and her mother is talking downwards off camera it is obvious to the audience that they are talking to each other. However later in the shot, Violet starts to talk slightly to the right of the camera and then it cuts to a Mid Shot of Willy Wonka talking down underneath the camera. The audience can now assume that because of their matched eyelines she is now aiming her comments at Willy Wonka rather than her mother and this seems plausable to the audience as their head direction is showing where you would expect to see them talking to if both of them were present in the shot.
Violet later starts describing the chewing gum to all of them in a MCU shot. It follows with MCU's of many of the other characters looking off screen but in different directions. However because of their matched eyelines the audience can assume they are all looking at Violet as the direction they are looking is justifyable and makes sense as this is where you would expect them to be in relation to Violet.
When Violet begins to turn into a blueberry there is a CU shot of her face then a shot of Willy Wonka reacting then back to a shot of Violet. This is a cutaway reaction shot as it cuts away from the main action of the scene to show you how another character is reacting to it. It makes the audience know how they should also be reacting to it and breaks up the action so it isn't just one long, boring sequence. It also tells the audience that Willy Wonka is reacting at the same time that the action is occurring and that time hasn't changed.
As Violet is expanding the camera cuts from an ELS of her from the front to an ELS of her from a high angle. This is a matched cut as the action that is taking place is exactly the same in both shots despite the movement of camera. This shows to the audience that no time has passed since the camera moved and it does not confuse them.
When Willy Wonka begins to talk to Violet's mother there is a noise from the right off camera and both their heads turn to look at it then it cuts to a ECU shot of a machine timer. This is a motivated cut as the audience want to see where the noise is coming from and what they have both turned to look at and in the next shot it is revealed to them. It gives some suspense to the scene and holds the audiences attention because they want to witness what is going on. This also acts as a cross cut as it cuts away from the main action of them reacting to Violet expanding to the Umpa Lumpa's coming out to start singing. It allows another element of the story to be seamlessly revealed to the audience.
There is a LS of the Umpa Lumpa's singing and then a MCU of Willy Wonka dancing then back to the Umpa Lumpa's singing. This is another cutaway reaction shot as it shows that Willy Wonka's reaction is occuring at the same time as the main action and that he is reacting to them. This is also shown by eyeline match as he is looking to the left off camera and that is the position that the audience would expect the Umpa Lumpa's to be in relation to him, therefore they know he is reacting to them. It makes the sequence make a lot more sense to the audience and the shots all fit together effortlessly.
Right at the end of the scene we see a MCU of Willy Wonka talking to someone, then there is a shot of Violet's mother talking back at him, then another MCU of Willy Wonka answering her. This is an example of shot-reverse shot as we see both characters reactions and emotions but without changing to camera's distance from them. It is also an example of matched eyeline as when there is a shot of each of them they are looking in the direction that the audience would expect the other character to be standing therefore making the conversation between the two of them more believable to the audience.
Although people do not turn into blueberries in real life the look of Violet is plausible as this is what people would expect to happen if someone did turn into a blueberry. It is made up but yet because of the way in which it is put together we can believe that if something like this were to occur it would look almost exactly like how it is shot. It is still believable to the audience as it still creates a sense of realism, despite it being totally fantasy.