Thursday 29 April 2010
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Crime Film Questions
1. What is the Purpose of the opening to a film?
The opening to a crime film is to draw in the viewers and make them immediately interested in the film so that they keep watching. The opening also introduces us to the main characters that we will be following throughout. The opening also sets the scene for the rest of the film.
2. What techniques can a director use to create suspense in a film?
A director can create suspense by including dramatic music and using clever camera shots. Dark lighting also makes the viewer’s sight of the film obscured which might cause tension. Music is also used to build up tension in the audience.
3. How do you think a crime film is defined?
I think a crime film keeps the audience on edge by dramatic music and a lot of action, this makes the audience feel as if they cant take there eyes of the film. Guns, fighting and money are involved at some stage during a crime film and so they define the storyline as well as the characters roles. A crime film always has a someone that ends up getting killed, usually by the hero.
4. What films can you think of that would fit into the crime genre?
The Bank Job
Seven
The Butterfly Effect
Goodfellas
Chaos
Air Force One
Blood Diamond
The Kingdom
Executive Decision
Taken
The Shawshank Redemption
5. The Thriller genre can be divided into sub-genres what different types of thriller film do you think exists?
- Crime
- Action
- Gangster
- Horror
- Mystery
- Action Comedy
- Heist
- Film Noir
- Mob
- Legal Dramas
- Detective Films
6. What are the characteristics or conventions of a crime film? Narrative, characters, mise en scene, stars?
A crime film is usually based in a big city where there is a lot of money or personal gain available. Usually something goes wrong for the main character but it all comes good in the end. Money is usually something to do with it and there are always guns, fighting, women and violence involved. Audiences also sometimes choose to view a crime film based on a actors reputation as they may know or like a crime film they have previously been in.
7. What do you think is the audience pleasure of a crime film?
The audience get excited by watching crime films, this is because they are set in real life situations and so makes it more realistic, the purpose of one is to entertain the audience.
8. What do you think are the differences between a horror and a thriller film?
Horror films tend to have a lot more blood and gore in them and tend to scare the audience a lot more, they tend to more fiction then real life. Thriller films are a lot more realistic and are sometimes based on true stories. A lot of thriller films are also a 15 certificate whereas a lot of horror films are 18 certificates.
9. Top 20 Thriller films.
1. | 9.2 | The Godfather (1972) | 379,879 |
2. | 9.0 | The Godfather: Part II (1974) | 223,710 |
3. | 8.9 | Pulp Fiction (1994) | 381,998 |
4. | 8.8 | The Dark Knight (2008) | 417,583 |
5. | 8.7 | Rear Window (1954) | 109,409 |
6. | 8.7 | Fight Club (1999) | 347,693 |
7. | 8.7 | Psycho (1960) | 131,790 |
8. | 8.7 | The Usual Suspects (1995) | 247,918 |
9. | 8.7 | The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | 225,303 |
10. | 8.6 | The Matrix (1999) | 351,374 |
11. | 8.6 | North by Northwest (1959) | 86,220 |
12. | 8.6 | Memento (2000) | 248,147 |
13. | 8.6 | Se7en (1995) | 253,578 |
14. | 8.6 | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) | 146,267 |
15. | 8.6 | Léon (1994) | 180,831 |
16. | 8.6 | Taxi Driver (1976) | 141,867 |
17. | 8.6 | Vertigo (1958) | 84,390 |
18. | 8.6 | Double Indemnity (1944) | 33,895 |
19. | 8.5 | M (1931) | 36,415 |
20. | 8.5 | El secreto de sus ojos (2009) | 2,409 |
I have seen 1 of these films. This is because a lot of them are very old films made in the 1950’s and 1940’s and so these films are not regularly seen on the TV now. The one film I have seen (Underlined) is a very recent film
Crime Film Questions- Poster Analysis
This film poster is very effective as it does its job. It shows the reader what the film is about and shows how relevant the seven deadly sins have. The serious faces of the two main characters that are shown on the poster, tell the viewer that the film is a thriller film. The 7 deadly sins are positioned in the middle, this shows us that this is what the film is based on and is the main subject of the story is, they are also crossed out which could symbolise death. The colour of the screen is a bronze/gold colour, this is related to fire and shows danger. The poster also uses star appeal to attract audiences. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are both famous actors who everyone knows.
Compared to this poster/DVD cover, the mood is very different. The two policeman look serious, but you can see a very slight hint of comedy by the expression on their faces. The tagline of the film which is also displayed on the poster also makes us think that the film is that of a comedic nature. The colour on both posters are nearly identical, however on Hot Fuzz the colour is generated from fire whereas on se7en it appears that the background is a rustic pattern. Both show danger. The element of humour is also shown by the shades on their faces. This creates mystery and humour.
The genre of the films is clearly put across from the facial expressions on the actors face. The serious faces on Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman’s face tell the viewer that the film is a serious, thriller, the expressions shows there is something to be scared off. However, the comical look of Hot Fuzz, shown by their expressions, tells us that this is a light-hearted film and not such as serious one. Both the red slashes and the fire remind us all of danger and so we automatically know that this is what the film’s our about. The red colour is also linked with blood and reminds us of that.
This poster makes the genre of the film obvious to the viewer. The broken glass shards the skull, rotted teeth, dark eyes, blood-red font and the tagline ‘Rest in pieces’ shows us this is a horror film/thriller. Black is the main colour used and is associated with death and pain. The release date written in blood red and the mask behind the broken glass our their to tell the viewer that they are about to watch a horror film. They both remind us of death. This is a lot darker then the other two film posters, this shows us that there are darker things happening, thus making us feel more scared and expect more death and pain.
The release date, which is written in blood red, is at the end of the summer holidays. This is more likely to attract the target audience.
Monday 26 April 2010
History of Crime Films
A crime film is a film that involves different types of crime. It could fall under many different categories such as thriller, horror, film noir and psychological. Crime Films are more often based on books and there are some books that are more famous than others such as James Bond and Sherlock Holmes.
The arrival of sound in films in 1927 meant that there was a great thirst for escape like entertainment that would entertain the lower class people who immigrated to
After the war crime films took off with many films cultured in
Throughout the eighties films mystery films became popular. These would often be a policeman trying to solve a crime and the story takes and huge twist. Some examples would be The Game and Chaos.
Nowadays crime comedies are the most produced but there are many horror and gangster films around.. Action films such as The Transporter and Batman Returns are very popular and they attract a wide range of audiences.
Crime films are more popular now then they ever have been. They are seen as gender neutral and so they attract a wide range of audiences around the world.
Who is our film aimed at?
Our filmed is aimed mainly at males as they are more likely to wish to view this sort of film then females. Younger males especially will be more inclined to want to view the film then older ones, somewhere in between the ages of 13-35. This is demonstrated by the presence of drugs and generally violent behaviour being portrayed. The film, however, seems to have a theme running though it that most teenagers would enjoy and perhaps relate to, such as Skins and Kidulthood. This is shown by relatively young actors being shown in the film and the storyline with its stereotypes that are associated with these said people.
The research that we carried out with the films before the planning of our own movie has helped us a great deal as we were able to distinguish the differences between all of the certificates shown of movies, and especially the borderline between certificate 15 and certificate 18, because even though there is a prime difference, it is sometimes hard to choose between.
Textual Analysis
The Shawshank Redemption | The Godfather | The Godfather Part II | |
Genre | Crime Drama | Crime Thriller | Crime Thriller |
Mis-en-scene | Dark Walls Hosepipe Gun Bullets Alcohol Firearms Cars Vans | Phone Desk Cat Pictures Typewriter | Coffin Chairs Guns |
Camera Angles | Widespread Close up Extreme Close up Aerial Over the shoulder | Close Up Aerial Standard Extreme Close Up Sideways | Close Up Over the shoulder Standard Long Distance |
Connotations | When the prisoners are shown you immediately think poor, lower class people. Most indoor scenes suggest death, pain and misery. | The man at the beginning is dressed in a smart suit. We think he is rich and maybe dangerous based on the way he talks. He reminds used of Italian gangsters from other films. | When we see the people going to a funeral we know that they are poor and weak. When we see the gangster we see he is powerful and rich and dangerous. |
Lighting | Dark inside which signifies misery. Dim lights also reflect this. Outdoor is brighter. | The lighting is dark and mysterious. It creates a dark mood. Outside the lighting is clearer. | The lighting is very bright because they are in the desert. |
Music | Sad music at the beginning of film when credits run through. No other music | There is music in the background of the dancing scene. It is happy and jolly due to the light hearted event. | The music is very dramatic at the start. This is sad and we straight away know something bad will happen at the start. |
Summary- All the films are similar and have the same type of props. Weapons and furniture, which indicates the opening scenes are inside. They all use close up camera angles and there are also Aerial, Standard and Over the Shoulder shots. These are the common features in the opening scenes of these films. The costumes and clothing allows the viewer to see which characters are the more powerful and which aren’t. The sharp suits and ties indicate that that character is a powerful one, e.g. The Godfather. Whereas the poor quality clothing of the characters in the Shawshank Redemption makes us immediately think that they are poor, powerless people. The dark lighting used creates a mysterious mood where the audience are on edge. In the light the audience aren’t expecting much action because of the relaxing mood. Music also gives the audience an idea. The sad music at the beginning of Shawshank tells the viewer that the film will start on a sad note, the music creates a mood for the opening scene. Another example would be the happy music at the beginning of The Godfather which symbolises the happy scene of people enjoying themselves at the dance. All the things that we see and hear like costumes and props and music effect the mood of the opening scene and the viewer can follow this. These are useful components to use in our film.
