Tuesday 27 January 2009

Crime Film Evaluation

Media Coursework Evaluation
The planning process for my project was straight forward and was of great use as when it came to filming I knew exactly what I was to do, the time of the day I should shoot certain clips, and the location required. For example, during my planning I recognised that timing was of great importance due to the fact it starts to get dark at around 4pm. This had an impact on what time I was to film specific shots as I did want them to be in daylight. I managed to hire a camera to use over the weekend which gave me more time to prepare and organise props for filming beforehand. When it came down to filming, I was aware that I needed to use varied camera angles in order to keep the audience interested and to show different perspectives of the character and the locations. In one scene, I chose to zoom in which emphasised the characters blank facial expression. As well as focussing on camera angles during the planning process, I also had to make a list of any props I would need along with costume which the protagonist was to wear. I wanted the clown to be represented as an abnormal clown to reflect his personality. To enable me to do this I decided not to dress the protagonist in an original clown costume, but instead black clothing, along with black balloons, and a small, tatty suitcase for the clown to carry. I felt this was successful because the character could still be easily indentified as a clown by his face paint. In terms of location I knew I wanted to shoot some scenes locally by the lake, and others at home to show the character preparing for his role as a clown. When I had finished my planning I needed to ensure that I had around 5-10 minutes worth of filming to use for editing to produce the final piece. This meant I was to repeat some shots but from different angles which could be edited at a later date.
During the planning stage I had chosen each individual scene and specifically planned out what would be required. However, there are a couple of scenes I decided to change. In one of the scenes I was going to film the clown walking across a field on his way to a child’s party, but on the day of filming the grass was wet and quite slippery, so, instead I chose to film the protagonist walking down a path which enabled me to capture a variety of angles. As well as location issues, I had to make sure that I filmed during the daylight because I was keen to focus on the protagonists face and expressions made. Unfortunately, on the day of filming there were frequent light showers which made it difficult to repeat shots without the rain and wind. The weather did have an effect on the filming as I had planned for every shot to be in the daylight, yet due to the rain, in some shots it was evident that it was growing darker. Nevertheless, I decided to add an extra shot of the protagonist walking down a pathway into the darkness which I felt was very successful and could be used as the ending of the opening sequence.
I faced very few challenges during my filming; the main challenge I had to face was with the weather. When I was filming locally, by the lake, there was a strong wind which actually caused one of the balloons the protagonist was carrying to blow away. This slight set back was overcome as I had brought a couple of extra balloons with me. Many of the shots I used in the final piece were of the protagonist by the lake, and show the bad weather, although when editing my filming I found that the wind actually added a great effect to the shots as it caused the camera to shake which created a sense of fear.
One way in which I challenge the conventions of a media product is that unlike most opening sequences to crime films which usually include a chase scene with great suspense, or a shot of the crime being committed, I chose to use a more subtle approach to try and intrigue the audience by
introducing the main character but not giving too much away in a short space of time. I felt this added mystery to the film as the audience are unable to predict the storyline and plot.
My film is an enigma, it is a mystery which is slowly unravelled when the audience are shown the clowns background and understand his childhood. This uses the conventions of a real media product as similarly, it is based around a key central topic in crime thrillers: psychological exposure.
The actor used for the opening sequence was of a particular age group, the reason for this is that I wanted the character to be portrayed in a specific way. This was particularly important as the storyline states that throughout his life the clown had been isolated, and has pursued a career as a clown to gain revenge on children. Therefore the actor I used was a male in his mid fifties which I felt fitted the part perfectly.
I believe it is most likely for my project to be viewed on the internet, as with most films distributed on the internet, it only had a low budget which I feel has an effect on its distribution. Due to the low budget, I think it is unlikely that the audience would pay to see it on the television or cinema.
The audience for my film would be teenagers. I think due to the storyline, and the central topic including abduction, it is not appropriate for a young audience. I feel that it is unsuitable for children, but as having a phobia of clowns is relatively common, it could be successful in thrilling the audience in scenes of great suspense. As the films protagonist is a clown, it may or may not attract the audience depending on whether they have an existing fear or phobia. As the story is uncovered the audience will learn that there are psychological issues behind the clown’s actions.
During the process of constructing my project I have learnt many things about technology. Before editing my film I had never used a Mac before. After consistent practice I became more confident with the cuts I was making and the way the project was piecing together. I really enjoyed editing and finding new techniques to add effects to the shots. I learnt that characters and locations can be represented in different ways through the use of editing techniques. One of the effects I used was ‘black and white’ which I personally felt fitted in well with the mood and representation of the protagonist. It also had a great effect on the location and surroundings, creating a sense of loneliness.
The location, sound and titles were very important aspects of the film as well as the protagonist. It is a common occurrence for thrillers to be set in an isolated, remote area, so when I chose to film by the lake I was following the conventions of the genre. The shots of the clown by the lake create a sense of loneliness as the clown is very calm. Instead of involving common scenes such as chase scenes or a crime being committed, I felt the shots added a sense of suspense in an unexpected way.
I created the music for my soundtrack on Garage Band which I felt was my biggest challenge. I wanted to make sure the instruments used fitted in well with the tone I was setting through the film. In order to do this I used a mixture of pianos and violins to keep the music peaceful, and then would build up the instruments together to create more of an impact on the audience. The final piece of music I produced worked well when joined together with the film. The music was also played during the titles, which were shown in between shots. After trying out different coloured backgrounds and fonts I decided to use a black background with stark, white font, which felt appropriate for the genre. All in all, I felt the combination of the different shots, the music and the locations all tied in well and helped portray the protagonist as lonely and depressed.
Although I am pleased with the final outcome I feel if I was to do it again I could improve on a number of things. When cutting scenes I feel that I should have kept some of the stand still shots of the clown, showing more facial expression, and less of the walking shots. Secondly, I feel that maybe more should have been revealed in terms of the storyline, as very little was given away, which may cause the audience to question how it is a crime thriller. On the other hand, I feel some of the effects I used had a positive outcome, such as the black and white effect, and slowing down the shots which helped to add the sense of loneliness.
I was happy with my choice of location regarding the lake, as one of my favourite shots was the protagonist sitting on a bench looking over at the lake which I shot from behind.

Through the process of the project I have learnt how valuable it is to plan, especially during a filming project, it is very important in case of weather difficulties, or actors busy schedules. I have also learnt how to use an Apple Mac, which was very enjoyable as it is very different to a normal PC. Alongside this, I have gained knowledge on how to operate a camera, including varied angle shots which can be used to represent characters in different ways, and how to load the footage onto the Mac which in fact is a very simple process.

Questionnaire Research

A questionnaire to find audience pleasures
in the thriller genre of film.


Why do you like thriller films?
_____________________________________________________________________________________

What do you expect to happen in a thriller film?
_____________________________________________________________________________________

What is your favourite sub-genre of thriller? (Please circle)
Action thriller
Conspiracy thriller
Crime thriller
Disaster thriller
Drama thriller
Horror thriller
Spy thriller
Supernatural thriller
If other please state___________________________________________

What sort of characters do you expect to see in a crime thriller?
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Is the opening sequence to a film important to you? (Please circle)
Yes
No
Sometimes
If other please state___________________________________________


If the opening sequence to a film is not what you expected, do you switch it off? (Please circle)
Yes
No
Sometimes
If other please state___________________________________________

Do you find that the location of a film has an effect on whether you like it or not? (Please circle)
Yes
No
Sometimes
If other please state___________________________________________

Do you enjoy the climax of a film? (Please circle)
Yes
No
Sometimes
If other please state___________________________________________

Target Audience for Crime Films

Target Audience

The genre I have chosen for my film is a crime thriller. This genre of film often contains frequent action and mild, scary, action scenes, as well as violence. As a result and from carrying out research, I believe the main target audience for crime thriller films is fifteen plus specifically for horror films. A large majority of horror films often include a group of teenagers who have gotten themselves into trouble, hence the target audience being teenagers’ e.g. ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ ‘Jeepers Creepers’ and ‘Halloween’. Due to the central topics of a crime thriller, such as: murders and robberies I think the target audience should be adults, as the scenes featured in most crime thrillers are unsuitable for any person below the age of 18. The most commonly known crime thrillers include: The Departed, L.A Confidential, Seven, Reservoir Dogs and Silence of the Lambs, all of which classified as 18.
I do not think that crime thrillers are necessarily aimed at a particular gender, although I think males enjoy the more gory parts of a film along with the violent action scenes.

Film Classification

Film Classification
Films are classified by the local authorities who also license cinemas using the Licensing Act 2003. The reason for film classification is that it can protect viewers from unsuitable content, and advise appropriate ages for particular categories. A film will be awarded a certificate, which will state the age of which is required for the viewer.
Classification decisions rely on the contents of a film, a film classified as a 15 may contain strong language and violence, or moderate sex references. Whereas an 18 classification may include strong, bloody violence, strong sex references, hard drug use, torture or terrorisation.
Evidentially, it is the extent to which the violence or language is contained throughout the film that determines the classification. A film containing minor taboo at the beginning, compared to one containing strong language throughout will have an effect on whether it is suitable for any person younger than 18.
The examiners that classify films can also recommend cuts from the films if required.

Analysis of psychological crime thriller films

Analysis of thriller films

Don’t Look Now, a psychological thriller, deals with premonitions and danger. This film is based upon a couple whose daughter drowned, therefore they move to Venice. The death of their daughter occurs at the beginning of the film, and is a typical thriller convention. In Venice they meet a pair of elderly ladies, one of whom claims to be psychic and brings them news of their young daughter who passed away. When the couple meet the elderly ladies there is much suspense and heightened tension as one of the ladies receives psychic visions. Throughout the film murders and deaths occur in and around Venice, which is a well known central topic for a thriller.
There are two man locations through the film, the first is the family home in England. The family home is shown in the opening sequence of the film. The main characters are featured in the first couple of minutes, whilst the titles run. The mother and father are filmed reading in the house, whilst their two children play outside. In the first couple of minutes the little girl, pictured in a red coat accidentally throws her toy into a valley at the bottom of their garden. During this scene the camera shots are varied, and are zoomed in on the little girl. When the girl tries to collect her toy from the valley she falls into the valley. At this moment in time her father has a premonition and races out to the garden to check on the children, however he is too late as the little girl has drowned. The use of a young child is very emotive; therefore having a great effect on the viewers, particularly parents who have may have young children. The opening sequence of the film is very gloomy; therefore the weather is pouring rain and approaching evening. This sequence sets the mood for the film, yet does not give too much away, despite the loss of a character which is a thriller convention.
The second location is Venice, during the climaxes of the film, many shots are of images of a red coat similar to the little girls coat, in dark alleys. Although Venice is a beautiful location, as a wide range of the shots are filmed in back streets and alleys, its scenery is not used.
At the end of the film we are exposed to a red herring, as the audience has been mislead to believe that the images shown of a red coat are the young daughter, however this is false. A red herring, along with cliff hangers are usually evident in thrillers to create a twist, in order for the audience to be unable to predict the ending.

The Italian Job, considered as an action/crime/thriller contains car chases, violence, explosions, and murders, all of which are conventions of a thriller film. The 2003 film is a re-make of the 1969 ‘The Italian Job’ modernised. The plot of the film is for a gang of thieves planning to steal gold from previous associates in Venice. The locations in the film include Venice, where the gold is stolen from, Italy, and Los Angeles. All three locations are very wealthy and expected for a film of this genre.
The main characters include a father, of around sixty, who organises robberies and is the power behind the team, his associate, who is also very powerful but not as well respected, the fathers daughter, who later in the film becomes a main character, and four others who specialise in driving, explosives, computing, and the final gang member who betrays the others, by stealing the gold from them, and shooting the father who was in charge of the robbery. This is one of the twists of the film, during which there is frequent fast- pacing action and violence, as with the majority of thriller films.
There are many thriller conventions throughout the film, including the characters costumes during the robbery, as they are dressed in all black, wearing leather gloves, beanie hats, and leather jackets. During the chase following the robbery, the gang use guns to protect themselves. A gun is a weapon frequently featured in thriller film, as are knives. Another convention featured in the film is after the original gang have defeated the villain, they are all filmed smoking cigars. Cigar or cigarette smoking is usually always featured in a crime film, which relates to its genre.
The opening sequence of the film shows the titles, and images of Venice and a map, from different camera angles. The images shown do not fill the screen, as they are similar to key hole snap shots, by doing this, the opening sequence entices the audience.

Another film that deals with the crime thriller genre is Matchpoint, a psychological drama based in London. The main character is a tennis coach who falls in love with his soon to-be brother in laws girlfriend. The role of the girlfriend is similar to that of a femme fatale, as she uses her sexuality to lure him in. However, as the affair between the characters grows stronger, it becomes apparent that he had got his brother in laws girlfriend pregnant. Due to this he has to take action as he does not want to lose his partner, therefore he commits a crime. During the climax of the film, classical music is played to heighten the tension and suspense. A gun is used to shoot two characters, a commonly used weapon in thriller films. Whilst the crime is committed the character is wearing all black, along with black leather gloves, to disable his finger prints from being uncovered. After the crime had been committed, detectives try to uncover why and how the characters have been shot. The detectives manage to unravel the event however are then led to believe they are making false accusations. This adds a twist to the film, as the viewers expect that the main character will be caught.
Throughout the film there are many conventions commonly featured in a thriller film, including characters, the plot, weapons, and the location. However, the opening sequence of the film is unlike most crime thriller openings. It is located at a tennis club in London, as the main character narrates, although there is a twist to what the narrator states, as he says “…it is scary to think how much is out of ones control” which foreshadows his actions further in the film when he deals with an awkward situation by murdering the femme fatale character. This hidden twist is told at the beginning of the film, whilst a game of tennis is filmed. In comparison with the majority of thriller opening sequences, ‘Matchpoint’ does not appear to include usual conventions of a crime film.

Research into the history of the genre

A brief history of Crime Films
Genre is the name given to a group of films that have a similar pattern, technique, or conventions. They may be connected through the setting of a film, the subject matter, the plot, themes or mood, the situation or even the characters. Crime is considered to be one of the main film genres, along with action, adventure and comedy, to name only a few.
Crime or gangster films are based on the actions of criminals, such as bank robbers, criminal organisations or aggressive or violent individuals who disobey the law. In such a film, a crime will have been committed which is then documented or investigated and solved by a detective or group of agents.
The genre of crime became popular around the 1930s when more people began to watch films as a form of entertainment. The films featured organised crime and violence by dangerous gangs known as ‘the mob’. Viewers found this interesting as it mirrored real life events as crime increased in the real world. The genre kept viewers on the edge of their seats, unsure of how events would unfold and as to whether the truth would be uncovered. Some of the earliest crime films included ‘Born Reckless’ and the original ‘Scarface’, after which the crime genre became more brutal and increasingly popular. During this period of time crime films frequently featured the mafia and other crime organisations, such as those seen in the epic film, trilogy ‘The Godfather’. The original film is based on a novel about an Italian mafia family living in New York City and was voted the second best film in American history.
Over the last few decades crime films have changed and developed considerably, ranging from crime thrillers to crime action films, Crime has been the subject of many award winning films such as ‘PULP Fiction’, which was nominated for seven Oscars and ‘The Departed’, which won four Oscars in 2006. The film genre has also featured real life events of three gangsters. Recently ‘The Dark Knight’ made a huge $527 million in the cinemas over the United States alone, highlighting the continuing popularity of the genre.
Crime is not only common in films, but also in serial television dramas for example, Diagnosis Murder and Poirot. More recently the American drama CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) has aired on television following a team of investigators as they uncover crimes and mysterious deaths. This drama is very popular in America, demonstrating how the crime genre has evolved and continues to be a source of entertainment seventy years on. In the UK, dramas such as Spooks and Life on Mars, which both deal with crime investigations, have introduced and made popular the crime genre to a new audience.
It seems likely that crime will continue to be a popular topic in film and other forms of entertainment, as real life events give writers inspiration to produce an exciting and gripping storyline.

http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Academy-Awards-Crime-Films/Crime-Films-A-BRIEF-HISTORY-OF-MOVIE-CRIME.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_film

Poster Analysis

Poster Analysis
CLEANER (2007)
The imagery on this poster suggests it is a crime thriller film. This is due to the fact in the bottom left hand corner of the poster, a hand is shown, with blood splattered around it. In the top third of the poster a mans feet are pictured in the opening of a door way. The body of the man is not shown which adds mystery to the poster.
As the main colours used for the poster are black, grey, white and red it is obvious that the film is dark and mysterious.
As with most posters advertising films, it features a catchy slogan to intrigue the audience. ‘SOLVING CRIME CAN BE DIRTY WORK’ The slogan is placed at the top of the poster, below the mans feet, in a bold font to capture the audiences attention.
I think the poster exceeds the audiences expectations in terms of a thriller, as the poster features blood and body parts.






THE GODFATHER PART III (1990)
The iconography featured on the poster is very dark, and emphasises power and authority. An image of a man fills the page, and is rubbing his hands together as if he is plotting evil or planning something. As the man is wearing a suit, along with his stance, these features both make him look powerful and demonstrate strength and authority.
The title for the poser contains an image of a hand holding puppet strings, signifying control and manipulation which suggests to the audience that the film is unsuitable for a younger audience.
The slogan featured on the poser reads ‘ALL THE POWER ON EARTH CAN’T CHANGE DESTINY’ giving the viewers the impression that the film is dominated by an extremely powerful character who is pictured on the poster.
RESERVOIR DOGS (1992)
Similarly with the majority of advertisement posters, the title of the film is in a large, bold, red font, which immediately grabs the audience’s attention. The imagery on the poster include a hand, pointing a gun at a man who appears to be in a vulnerable position, who shows a worried facial expression. This imagery shows the audience that the film contains strong violence. In the bottom third of the poster a silhouette of four male characters dressed in black suits along with black sunglasses is shown. In my opinion, the silhouettes appear to be the main characters of the film, due to the fact the hand pointing the gun shows a sleeve of a suit, which could be linked with the four characters pictured below. I have also made this assumption as the silhouettes show each character holding a gun beside them. Altogether six guns are pictured in the poster, which overall gives the impression that the film contains violent confrontations.