Warp Films

Survey Results

The images below, show the results of my film audience analysis, which I have used in order to find out information around movies and how their qualities enable a larger viewing. As a result, this is very helpful when wanting to get an idea as to the type of elements within a film that people find attractive and can therefore be used towards my plan in the 2 minute intro.

 

Audience Survey Analysis

The Survey below has been carried out in Survey Monkey, and is a copy of the types of questions that I will ask upon a range of people. In order for me to get an idea as to the concepts of film I can include within my 2 minute introduction, I have used this as a form of data as to the preferences and elements within film.

 

1. What genre of film do you prefer

Action Horror Thriller Drama	Romance Sci-Fi Fantasy
Other (please specify)

Edit Page Information Add Page Logic Add Page Randomization Add Question Randomization  2. In your opinion, what makes a good film (e.g. special effects, visuals etc.) and why?

3. What conventions would you expect to see in a horror film (e.g. Blood, gore, isolation etc.) and how would it be effective towards the audience?         4. Would the budget of a film effect its success and popularity, why?   Add Question   Add Image   Add Text   Add Random Assignment 5. Why is story line and plot within film so important when developing the characters

 

6. What makes a good introduction to a film Suspense/Tension Action Development of Storyline Titles of film and cast/crew Blood and gore Information (e.g. news reports)   Other (please specify)

Conventions of a Horror film

The main idea for my 2 minute introduction of a film is based around the horror genre. Researching stereotypes and conventions used in these types of film can help me establish elements that I can also use. Within horror films there seem to be a variety of the conventions, which are typically used to thrill and set atmosphere. The following are similalry used, commonly:

Dramatic high pitched music - Usually associated with making the audience feel un-nerved and frightened, but at the same time, sets the atmsophere, enabling the tone to seem more climatic, as the film reaches the end. Violins are the common instrument used to create a disorientated feel and can help relate to the story in some films, however it is mainly used as a way to scare.

Blood and gore - Especially used within the Saw series, this convention is more likely used as a form of realism after a fatal injury, thus making the viewer feel sick and unhinged by some of the fatalties that the horror films have. However, this convention is not really original because it is only recently that this has been popular; since the horror films began, blood was used less frequently.

Location - This is also used as a factor in order to scare the audience and once again set the atmosphere in which most locations seem to be isolated. Darkness is also used towards a fear of the unknown and unexpected as to what may happen next. It makes the audience feel like they are the character within the film and feel emmersed within the fake reality therefore causing a similar feeling of fear and desperation.

Teenagers and Sexual content - Only recently introduced into the horror genre, this convention is sometimes used to shock the characters into a realtiy of the situation and add to the sense of isolation and desertion. Characters that are not aware in films seem to be the first to get killed and therefore could be considered the starting point of a series of murders, in order to get their fellow friends to work together and establish a survival plan. Commonly used in films like Wrong Turn and The Cabin in the Woods, this convention is not major when wanting to scare the audience.

Props - Usually associated with knives, weapons and generally anything that can be used to harm someone, are the props used in a series of horror films; the murderer/"Villain" usually wield something more powerful to overwhelm the characters and make their death seem inevitable.

Characters/Plot - Normally in paranormal films, there most commonly seems to be a child who is the prey to the ghosts and therefore could make the audience feel more concerned. The characters usually scream and make their presence heard by a bloodcurdling cry, and raises the question at the start of the film on whether or not the chracters will overcome the villain, or if they will succomb to it.

 

Mise-en-scene in TV Drama

Narrative in film

Narration and storyline are keys components in a film which make up the baseline of a movie. Usually the audience are expected to watch due to a good narrative; almost like conventions whereby the important factors within that genre should be incorporated into a film e.g. in action films explosions, guns and violence is the main theme. However, it is know in some films that the storyline is too confusing or doesn't make sense (take Inception for example) which is also why it is important to explain clearly what the aim of the topic is in the film, so the audience don't get bored.

Some film's storyline seem a bit monotonous, as if it had been done before; sometimes it is just a variation on a theme. The problem here could be that big blockbuster movies mean cheap budget films don't have new ideas, because they are made up from elements the "bigger" film already has. In addition, if a plot is to be made into a film, the rise in action should take place relatively near to the beginning, so that the atmosphere/tension is created instantly, thus allowing it to slowly evolve, otherwise eventually the viewer will become inattentive.

A storyline usually starts at equilibrium where everything Is normal, before chaos happens and creates a state of unbalance. At the middle/centre of the film, there is disequbilirum, before there is a resolution or answer to the problem. Before ending a state of new equilibrium is created. This is Tvetan Todorav's theory of narrative within a film, and is associated to a majority of movies, however more recently there is a factor effecting this, which is ending on a cliff-hanger; some horror films (paranormal) are related to this, typically done to create an opening for a sequel.

Finally, it is also the characters in a film, which develop the storyline; their actions may lead to consequences and create the start of narrative expansion. People in films are usually the reason for the outbreak of a tragedy, for example in the majority of zombie films, the infection usually spreads due to a lack of security or clumsiness  within a facility or key setting. The base of a story is commonly created via Binary oppositions (good vs. evil, man vs. alien etc.) therefore without this, there is no plot, and thus no progression in the film; it is  rather pointless and leads to a non conclusive end.

Narrative Theorists:
Levi Strauss - Binary Oppositions (Good vs. Evil)
Vladmir Prop - 7 Spheres of Action (structural features to a character e.g. a hero restores equilibrium, whilst a villain disrupts it
Tvetan Todorav - 3 stages of narrative (equilibrium, state of disequilibrium, state of new equilibrium)
Barthes - Narrative Codes (Visual codes, similar to an enigma's)

Audience in film