Research - Certificate information.

"15: Suitable only for 15 years
and over No one younger than 15 may
see a ‘15’ film in a cinema.
No one younger than 15 may
rent or buy a ‘15’ rated
video work. "

The discrimination in the film must not include discriminatory language or behaviour. 


Any Drug taking may be shown in the film but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable. The horror within the film may include strong threat and menace unless it's seen as sadistic or sexualised. Dangerous behaving for example hanging, suicide and self-harming shouldn't dwell in a great detail which is easily copied by the audience. Weapons which are easily accessible should not be glamorised. The language expected in a film with a certificate 15 can be frequently strong however the strongest terms are only acceptable if justified by the context. Agressive and repeated use of really strong language is unlikey to be acceptable. Nudity may be allowed within a sexual context however this should not be in strong detail. There aren't any constriants on nudity in a non-sexual or education context.  Sexual activity can be portrayed as long as there is not strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour however the strongest references are unlikely to acceptable unless they are being jusitifed within the context of the film. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal is very unlikely to be acceptable. No Themes are prohibited as long as the other parts of the film fit in with the appropirateness for 15 years old. The violdence within the film may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest images are unlikely to be acceptable for the film; Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also prohibeted. There may be detalied verbal ferences to sexual violence but any portrayal of this kind of violence must be dicreet and have a strong justification.


"Suitable only for adults
No-one younger than 18 may
see an ‘18’ film in a cinema.
No-one younger than 18 may
rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video."The certificate regulations for an 18  follow the principle that adults should be free to choose their
own entertainment. However there are expections where the material is in breach of criminal law. Where material or treament apperars to risk harm to individuals or to the gernal society through their behaviour.
This can presented though the use of dangerous acts, illegal drug use which may cause harm to the public health and morals. This can also include the portrayl of sexual violencet. The use of explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be jusitifed by context is an expection that is expected to be met. Such images should be rated as 'R18' works instead of an 18. 

The differences between the two certificates are that 18s allow much visual images of things such as gore and sexual references. Certificate 18 allows stronger language to be used unlike 15's which need the work to be justified to a much greater level, however both so still need to be justified in order to be acceptable to be viewed by the public. 

Research - Breaking down audience into categories.

The audience can be broken down into several categories.

1. Age; the age can break down an audience for example 15-18 is one way a audience can be broken down into a specific group. This idea of age can be used for any age group. Another way in which audience can be broken down into age categorise is by putting them under the brackets of particular ages for example 'child' 'student' 'adult' 'pensioner'  
2. Gender; the audience can be broken down into male of female categorise to decide the popularity of a film with a certain gender for example. 
3. Class; social class can be used to break down an audience to understand how a majority of a certain social class prefer a certain genre of film over another. These are the main way in which an audience can be broken down into categories.
   

Research - Is the opening important?

The opening of a film is important to the rest of the film as it allows the audience to get an understanding of the film and what is to come and often it clarifies to the audience the type of film they are about to watch as the opening of the film usual follow a set rules; The codes and conventions for that particular genre of film.

The opening can often unravel or give a slight glimpse into the plot and storyline of the film which also allows the audience to either understand or not understand the film from the out set.
The opening of the film can be classed as one of the most important parts of the film and this is due to the fact it is the first few images that the audience are able to see of the film and the directors intentions of the opening are too allow the audience to make expectations of the film and what they expect to see; this links back in with all of  the codes and conventions.

As the opening of a film often contains names of directors, actors and actresses the audience can also gain knowledge of what to expect from a certain director or a certain actor who is often seen doing such films.If the opening of a film is poor it leads the expectations of the rest of the film to follow in the same way and can influence and audiences opinion before the film even starts. The opening can also be important in order to create a certain atmosphere and also in order to create tension at the start of the film. This links back to the idea that the opening of the film in used in order to allow the audience to gain an expectation of the film itself as well as being able able to understand the plot before the film gets into it. 


It is also a chance for the soundtrack to begin and the sound track is also an important factor of the film as it helps the film gain pace or slow down and also by adding a sound track it is easier to edit the footage as there is a pace in which you are wanting to keep up throughout the film from the moment the opening begins. 
For these reasons I believe the opening of a film is very important and benefits the rest of the film massively as well as being beneficial for the audience to make first impressions of the film.

Research - What music do people prefer in thrillers?

From the research that we carried out we were able to find that different people expected different types of music from thrillers and preferred different types of music.
For example some people said they would prefer there to be music in the background of a scene to have no words and be a simple instrumental peace which is just being used to add pace and to dramatize the scene and allows you to focus on what's happening instead of listening to the words of the song.
Other people said that they prefer to hear music which starts slow and increases in pace throughout the peace of music, they also said that if the music was instrumental or had lyrics it didn't matter to them as long as the music itself did what they expected it to do in a thriller and that was to make the sense seem more intense.
Some answers simply stated they preferred to hear fast music as they expected to see scenes of chasing for the music to accompany.
Nearly all said they prefer the volume of the music to be loud or increase in volume but very rarely to never to be slow.


What is their favourite thriller and why? When people were asked what there favourite films where they named some classic examples of thrillers which are widely recognised. Some of the answers where: 
 Presumed Innocent this was named as a favourite thriller, one of the reasons this was named as a favourite thriller was because of the twists and turns in the story line, the audience liked the unpredictable plot. Sixth Scenes was another film which was named as favourite, it followed the same reasons for being picked as a favourite as the other film other film, however the questioned added that the film as it was a very 'clever' and it was not understood until the very end. Psycho was picked for being a 'classic' thriller film, fitting all you expect and want from a thriller film. Do they have memorable openings? There were varied responses when people where answering if there favourite film had a memorable opening and the different answers show the importance of an opening as two out of three answers which we have chosen to speak about claimed there favourite film did a memorable opening. Presumed Innocent was the only film that out of the three where the opening wasn't particularly memorable or remembered at all, despite the fact the opening was not easily recalled the film was still chosen as a favourite. Sixth Scenes when asked if this films opening was memorable the answers was yes, the responce included how the main character gets stabbed right at the begging and how it sticks in your mind through out the rest of the film and how this particular opening has an impact on the film. Psycho was said to have a memorable title sequence, and the music, colours - black and white - , pace of the writing and images (the lines) on the screen where all well remembered. 

What are thrillers?

• Thrillers: A genre of film that uses excitement, suspense and tension as the main elements. Thrillers usually contain a mixture of mystery and violence within it's story line
• Music: In thrillers you are able to expect music which builds up tension and increases suspense within the main scenes. The music is often just instrumental so that you are concentrating solely on the movie it’s self rather than the well known song you know playing in the background. The music is more often than not repetitive this is used throughout the film with different peaces of music being played at different times. This is a story indicator as to when a particular scene is happy, violent, mysterious etc. Different speeds of music will be used for different scenes. Music will be fast in a more intense scene such as a chase and the music will then slow down and become more ominous in a scarier scene which contains violence.  The different characters such as the ‘good’ and ‘evil’ may also have different music so you can differentiate between them when they come into view. 
• The Characters: Thrillers usually have one main protagonist and one main antagonist this is too allow the audience to clearly differentiate between the good and the bad in the film. The main antagonists usually has the persona of a psychopath and often leads the protagonist into danger. 
• Setting and Storyline: The settings for thrillers are often urban cities such as New York where the story line often follows an almost hide and seek chase of the characters through the busy streets. Often there is also many ’bad guys’ living within the city which the ordinary citizens don’t know about.  The settings can also be set in rural areas where the story line includes characters that are hiding or where a mysterious murder has taken place.There is usually a mysterious murder or disaster at the start of the film which is set as the plot throughout the film. The film usually includes a car chase which is considered an iconic convention of a thriller which entails both sides chasing one another in order to retain something which is theirs or too get something they want; cash, jewellery, paper work etc. 
• Camera Work: The camera work and speed changes depending on the story line. The introduction of a thriller is often shot slowly and in either much detail or as little detail as possible both creating tension and suspense for what is too come. The Camera speed is often fast during the film this helps put the audience in the film as they feel they are having to keep up with the character. Long distance shots are often used and panning of the surrounding area to create tension and atmosphere as it has the audience looking out for the ‘bad guys’ and trying to spot things in the area just like the character is. There are often close ups too of certain objects such as a weapon, a car or a certain person - this is usually done when that object or person is a vital part to the story and something or someone to look out for later on in the film or to create suspense from the outset. 
• The Colour: The usual colours in a thriller are ‘cold’ colours, this is done to create a cold an unwelcoming atmosphere which allows the audience to feel the way in which the character would feel. Certain colours such as grey are used in an urban area to match the busy background of sky scrapers. Colours such as red and black are used to make the audience aware of the danger and darkness ahead in the film. 

Sound

Sound:
Direct sound: Sounds which are made on the set and are kept within the film for effects of realism.

Studio sound: Sound recorded in the studio to improve the quality and also to remove unwanted sounds that may have been picked up in the filming.

Music: The music within a scene helps the scene pick up a certain pace or allows the audience to understand the emotions within the scene. A slow song may show strong upsetting emotions whereas a fast piece of music is more likely to show a happy excited time.

Silence: This can also be used to have the same effect as music by creating a tense atmosphere but also the silence can cause an un-nerving scene leaving the audience clueless of what is to come next.

Sound perspective: The impression of distance in sound usually created through the use of selective sound.

Sound bridge: Adding to continuity through a scene with music linking the events within a scene together.
Commentary: Usually a voice of one the characters saying something which is unheard by other characters only giving the audience direction of the events happening.

Sound effects: Any sound that is not narration or music.

Dubbed dialogue: Post-recording the voice-track in the studio, the actors matching their words to the on-screen lip movements.

Parallel sound: Sound which match the actions or pace on screen. 

Camera Codes - Distance, Angles and Movement.

Camera; there are different types of camera shots which are used in order to give different meanings and create different effects depending on what the audience are able to see through the shot.

• ELU: Extreme long shot - this kind of shot will be used to show the surroundings usually at the start of a film so the audience understand the setting on the film. 

ECU: Extreme close ups -  This shot shows something in extreme detail for exam you can have an extreme close up of an eye so that the only thing the audience are able to see in that shot is that one things.

LS: Long shot - this show also the whole body for head to feet to be shown with some of the background visible. 

MS: Mid shot - this usually shows from the lower torso up to the top of the head of a person on screen.

CU: Close up - this shot like an extreme close up shows one things however usually will focus on something like a face or an object instead of one small object in extreme detail.

Camera Angles are also used to give effect to the audience

Eye Level: This shot is straight at the eye level of both the audience and character. 

Point of view: This angle shows an event happening for the characters point of view to the audience.Bird’s-eye view: This angle shows events happening straight above.
High Angle: This angle shows the insignificance of certain characters as they are viewed being looked down on.
Low Angle: This angle looks up from a low angle increasing the height of a certain character and allows them to appear superior to the audience. 

Camera Movement
Zoom: This is when an object or a person in magnified for effect in order to show a certain feature or to emphasize a point. 

Pan: A pan is usually used along side an extreme long shot this use of movement allows the audience along with the shot to see a certain scene of a greater scale and give the audience an understanding of the setting.
Tilt: When the Camera is moved up and down to show height of something usually increasing the power or feelings of a character.
Tracking: Tracking is used to follow an object. During tracking the camera itself is moved along. This sort of movement is often used in a scene which needs to show the speed or movement of a certain character or object. 

Editing

Editing: 

Cutting rate: Frequent cuts may be used as deliberate interruptions to shock, surprise or emphasize.

Cross-cut: A cut from one line of action to another.
Buffer shot: A bridging shot - taken with separate cameras - are two different shots which show the continuity of movement.
Superimpositions: Images placed directly on top of each other usually to show a visual metaphor. 

Split screen: The division of the screen into parts which can show the viewer several images at the same time. This can be used in order to show different view points and show the excitement or terror of characters. 

Stock shot: Footage already available and used for another purpose than the one for which it was originally filmed.

Cutaway/cutaway shot (CA):  Usually used to show the passing of time.

Cut: Sudden change of shot from one character or location to another 
Jump cut: Switch from one scene to another usually used to great a more dramatic and significant effect.
Fade: A fade the picture slowly appears from or disappears to a blank screen.

Wipe: The effect of an image being wiped in order to change scene.

Genre:

Genre is a set of conventions that are recognizable to the audience usually through iconography familiar narrative, mise-en-scene, actors, and style of representation.  Genre is not static but constantly renegotiated between industy and audience; a combination of familiar reassurance and new twists. A creative strategy used by film producers to ensure audience identification with a film. Genre is an important way of working through important myths and fears by repetition, variation and resolution.


Genre also offers comforting reassurance in an uncomfortable world. Threats within a film are vanquished, outlaws become civilized, gangsters are punished. 

Genre functions like a language; there are a set of rules and a vocabulary with which to organize meaning. 

Audiences become accustomed to a certain genre and therefore look for there favorite genre of film when choosing what film to watch. However there are arguments and debates of the existence of genre. 


Genre is often hybridized so genre is easily misinterpreted. Hybridization means when two genres come together to create a new genre for example romantic comedy. 


There are also sub genres to main genres for example horror : slasher, psychological horror, gothic horror. 

Altman's argument:

Altmans argues that the relationship between the two links to how we can understand genre evolution and hybridization. Genre begins with the semantics and over a period of time evolve into genre after a variety of themes, issues, and plots have been explored. Thus it can take a while, what limits this is the shifting social ideologies that can affect themes, issues and ideas. 

Traditional theorists:

Schatez and Wright look at genre in a compartmentalized way, thus with no overlapping with specific ways of identifying the genre. Hybridization can be argued there is only a set of semeiotics no syntax. films influence each other. 

Analysing genre allows me to understand what target audience I should be aiming and the way in which genres can be changed and the different types of genre there are and the different sorts of genre that my group will be able to choose between when deciding which thriller hybrid or sub genre to choose for our film. Different theorists opinions on genre also allows me to understand the ways in which genre can be manipulated and the ways in which is can be changed.

By understanding these facts about genre will mean that whilst creating our opening we will be able to apply some of these things and understand that we are able to cross between genres through hybridisation and also by  sub-genres. When creating our film we can also consider the arguments between Altman's argument and traditional theorists.