Target Audience Continued

Shutter Island

Target Audience...

Shutter Island's genre is a thriller however it ties in with various sub-genre's such as crime thriller and romance thriller. I believe the target audience of this film is probably around 16-25. It would attract this age because it is a contemporary film with modern house-hold name actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio , Mark Ruffalo and Ted Levine. Both DiCaprio and Ruffalo would attract a male and female audience, they are both quite young, good looking and have made a name for themselves in previous projects. Emily Mortimer is also a house-hold name actress so she would also help the success of the film. As well Mortimer is an English actor in contrast to DiCaprio (the protangonist) and Ruffalo who are American. Because of her nationality English people would enjoy seeing an English actress in a holywood film therefore raising the end profit. The setting of the film is in the U.S in 1945 and the ending of the film has a mysterious twist, both of theses factors would widen the audience vastly because these aspects alone cover a lot generic connventions the public would like to see in a film evidently increasing the fan base. The film has been given a 15 certificate due to the language, violence, drug use and disturbing scenes. One of the scenes in Shutter Island show childrens corpses on the ground covered in blood which a lot of viewers would find disturbing.

Leonardo DiCaprio-Marshall Teddy Daniels

Film Genres Continued

Film Genres

Setting

Horror...films usually are set in an ominous location such as a graveyard, hospitals, churches, cellars, attics or any other isolated residence.  

Camera Effects

A variation of high and low camera angles are normally used, this is to suggest power (high angle) or suspense (low angle). The Jump cutting technique is quite popular in modern films, this effect is to show the quickening of time. The diegetic sound of ambiance is relevant to create a sense of realism to the film making it evermore terrifying. Obviously the non-diegetic sound of monsters, demons etc is also normally present in a modern day horror.

Iconography

The lighting is stereo-typically natural for a realism element however it is also normally low key. The lighting sometimes shifts to high-key to emphasize shadows. Religious symbols, blood and dark clothing are consistent in a successful horror movie.

  

Themes

. Depression

. Suicide

. Good vs Evil

. Religion

. Death

. Hate

Film Genres

Film Genres

When choosing a genre for my AS Media project, I had to consider a few different factors including my target audience; age range, gender and interests. I had to also acknowledge the setting, the narrative stance as well as the sub-genre. The film opening is a hybrid of genre's however the most pre-dominant theme or category is 'Thriller'.

Thriller...Now usually a film in this genre would have a target audience of 18+, however this would depend on the sub-category as 'Thriller' itself is an extremely broad category

''Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast''.-James Patterson

The Primary elements of a Thriller

1.) The protagonist(s) faces death or someone who is considerably close to the character. 

2.) Initially the antagonist(s) force must appear to be stronger of that of the protagonists.

3.) The main plot line focuses on a mystery that must be solved.

4.) The protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) will fight on a mental level as well as a physical one.

5.) All action and characters must be credibly realistic and natural in their representation of on-screen performance.

Silence of the Lambs-Sir Anthony Hopkins

 

Setting/Location

The most important factor about choosing a location to film is that to ensure the setting is relevant and is suitable for the genre. For example when shooting the opening to a thriller film choosing a light hearted, comedic background such as a fun fair wouldn't be that appropriate to the purpose unless it was for juxtapositioning purposes, in that case the scene would be suggestive of some sort of evil source and eventually build up to a darker, more ominous location. An ideal location for a thriller film would be in a desolate woodland area, in an isolated manor or something as accessible as a graveyard. It's also important to be prepared that your location can change and look totally different depending on the time of day/year so it's important to do a test run to check the light levels are suitable for this time. 

Nicole Kidman-The Others

The director of 'The Others' Alejandro Amenabar chose a darkened old house for the location of this film. This is perfect as Nicole Kidman's children are photosensitive therefore fazed by natural light so very little is seen in this film which is ideal for a horror/thriller film.

Preliminary Film Task

Preliminary Film Task

Finding Derek

Here I have devised a short example of different shots and camera angles to become familiar with the approaches and styles. This exercise was both entertaining and educational and has furthered my understanding in film shooting.
                                             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66-TuusT_ZE

Target Audience

Target Audience

The stereotypical target audience for a Thriller film is 18+, obviously this can fluctuate according to the sub genre. The reason why a film of this type is suited for the more mature viewer is because they normally include a lot of violence, taboo and psychological issues that viewers of a younger age may find challenging and/or disturbing. As well as the suggested age certificate, warnings are usually on the back of the DVD cover e.g 'may contain scenes of extreme violence and sexual content'.