Analysing The Romance Film "Bridget Jones":

 

Romance Analysis:

(opening two minutes)

"Bridget Jones"

 

 

 

The film "Bridget Jones" is a really good example of a Romance film, it suggests that even if you give up on finding love it could still happen. Stereotypically the target audience would be aimed at women aged 40+ who believe that they won't ever 'find the one' from bad experiences in the past and this film could give them hope. Straight away the scene is set in a flat which doesn't look like it has been looked after, you get an introduced to the main character who looks depressed and straight away the audience get this impression of her that she is a lonely, middle aged women.  audience would also think she is depressed and begin to feel sorry for her but also the women who watch this may be able to relate to her because they could have been heart broken and know what it is like to not find love. The non-diegetic sound connotes she is alone because of the music which is being played 'all by myself' which is a famous love song which would stand out to the audience.

 

The scene is set in her flat which looks like it isn't looked after which again shows she is on her own as she doesn't care and it suggests she doesn't have an visitors either, so she is a lonely person- which again connects with the song which is being played whilst she lays there in her pyjamas, smoking, feeling sorry for herself. As the song begins you get a long shot of the whole room while she lays on the sofa looking into the air as if she is daydreaming. The audience would assume she is thinking about her dream man while she lays there listening to the sad song which is probably making her feel worse. You then get a close up of the TV which is really old which suggests the film was set a few years ago but also the audience would focus on what is on the TV which is the TV show 'Frasier' which is a famous comedy show.  It aired in 1993 as a spin-off from 'Cheers' which again shows she was watching something to cheer herself up. The scene then changes to her getting up and moving and you get a long shot of her not walking but she is crouched over as if she is in too much pain to walk or even move. She puts her arm out to press on the answer phone and you quickly hear 'you have no messages' which again links in with the song and shows why she is upset as no one is bothering to actually care about her. Also by the machine singling her out by saying 'you' suggests it is emphasising she has no one.

 

She then sits back down and taps up foot to the music, she then reaches down to pick up her wine and it goes to a close up of her face as she downs the wine. The guitar solo comes in and she picks up a rolled up magazine and she begins to pretend to play it with the empty glass in one hand and the magazine in the other suggesting the wine has made her liven up a bit. As the music drops she lowers her arms with a hunched back showing she is still depressed and it looks like she is really feeling the words of the music. She then sings along with the music showing the audience she knows it of by heart which suggests she does this on a regular basis showing she is always down and depressed. Her facial expressions make it look like she is going to cry as her forehead is wrinkled up which looks like she is trying to stop the tears, also she is looking at the floor which may show she is trying to hide her face and not admit she wants to cry.

As the music get more upbeat she begins to start dancing and she uses the magazine as if it was a drum stick and it looks like she is trying to get all her anger out of her by dancing and hitting into the air.

Analysing The Action Film "The Other Guys":

 

Analysing three action films:

Opening scene of 'The Other Guys'

 

The scene straight away starts with a high angle shot of the city, as the films begins to start the camera beings to move out and you see more of the city. There is a voice over and you can hear sirens in the back, the voice is very deep and he sounds like a Gangster. Within 10 seconds the action starts, straight away it focuses on a road which is busy and the music becomes very upbeat and energetic. They focus on one car which looks expensive and there is a man laying on top of the car, straight away people and wondering what is going on and why he is up there. The music then becomes quiet and the two actors begin to talk and he asks him why is up there, this would make the audience think he is putting his life at risk and whos car is he actually on. The car behind is tail gating the car the man is on top of and he has a siren on the top of his car, this suggests he is to do with the police and he is after the man in that big car. He then gets out a gun and fires it at the car and the back window smashes, this suggests he knows what he is doing because he doesn't shoot his friend and doesn't hurt the man, it is like he is doing it to scare him. The next shot is an extreme close up of a moving bullet, the shallow depth of field in the background creates dramamtic effect as the audience are only able to focuses on the bullet. It draws the audience in as it goes in slow motion towards the car and then speeds up making the viewers think the bullet is going to hurt someone or something. It then speeds up and it breaks the siren but because the film is meant to be a comedy as well as action the man just gets out another siren and out it on the top of the car.

There is then diegetic sound as the man says 'uh oh' but you can not see him this gives the effect that something could of happened that the audience do not kow about and it would make up worried about whats going to happen next. The man on top of the car then panickes and stauight after there are gun shots trying to be aimed at him. The car behind then accelerates to try and help him which shows even the calm one is starting to panick and wans to help him. You then get an over the head shot of the man jumping from one car to another to try and dodge the bullets and it goes into slow motion, this suggests he is very active and has done this before. They then dodge cars on the road showing that what they are dong is very danderous but again they are very aware of whats going on and can cope with it.

They both are now shoting at each other and not only are they putting each other at risk but also the public around them. The physical stunts and car chases makes the scene effective because it shows what action is really like, around 1.5 minutes into it the gun shots are very repetitive causing the cars bonit to flip up making the actors not being able to see where they are going. They come to a T juntion still not being able to see but they still seem to be very calm and not worry about it, like it is funny.  By dodging other cars and having the upbeat music suggests that the scene is very tense and something is going to happen, within 2 seconds a truck falls over and it spills all the rubbish over the road. The traffic is at a stand still which suggests it is going to cause difficulties with the other people who may need to get somewhere, you get a close up of the front of the bus not noticing anything around it which may give the effect that the bus is coming towards the audience and could make them flinch.

The men in the police car then both shoot at the bonet to try and break it off this then flies off and disapears this shows detailed action. You then get a long shot view of the people sitting on the double decker bus and are on a tour, they seem surprised to what is happening and begin to take pictures. The police car drives over all the rubbish on the floor suggesting that they don't care what they have to do they will get to those people they are after. You then get another low down long shot of the bus and then the car flies over and crashes into the side of the bus, this shows skill due to their professional ability. Luckly no one was hurt and to try and make a joke of it the man says 'did someone call 911, holy shit?' this gives the effect that not only is this an action film but it is also a comedy. This would suggest that the target audience would be males as not only do they like action but they also like comedies and the two mixed together works really well, also it would be an older audience because of the language which is being used would not be suitable for a younger audience.

The car carries on running and the audience would have thought he got away because the car is now ruined and they are stuck in a bus, although this is happening they still seem to chase them which would make the audience know that they do this on a regular basis. You then get a long shot of the front of the bus and you can see a reflection of one of the men driving it, you can also see the car is still in the bus suggesting the men are in there still not wanting to give up and all the passengers are still on board but they don't seem to be to affraid showing that this is a action comedy. They are dodging every car in sight to try and get to them, you get a close up of the car and the background is blurred suggesting you should focus on the car and to make it seem tense as the audience would want to know what is going on. You get a close up of the wheel and you hear it screech which highlights that the scene is tense and it shows that he has given up and he is willing to fight which emphasises danger. He then jumps out of the car and gets his gun to aim at the bus and begins to shot this shows that he is in control and he wants to end it.  You get a long shot of the two men who are firing at the bus which  takes their power away because it is so far away and it is slightly above the where as when you get a shot of the man driving the bus you always seem to get a close up of his face which shows he is the one that they want the audience to focus on. The bus is being shot at and there are bullet holes in the windscreen and the driver begins to turn the bus whilst he is shouting, you get a close up of the two older passengers screaming which shows fear making the audience feel like the man has put himself before others.

You get a close up of the top of his shoe on the brake and you hear him shout but the expressions on his face still does not seem to be to affaid and it looks like he is enjoying what is going on which also suggets he is still willing to put himself in danger. You get a close up of the man with the gun to show the anger on his face which gives the effect that he is willing to kill the people in the bus. As the bus is on a slant and ready to turn over it hits a taxi making a smashing noise which makes the scene more exciting and it draws the audience in, as the bus hits the taxi the police car come crashing out towards the two men who are shotting. You get a close up of the bottom of the car whist it is flying in the air which gives the effect that it is powerful and it makes would make the audience wonder who is in control of the car and could make them worry to what is going on. The camera then shows you then three men shotting, one is standing at the front asting as if he isn't affraid and he wants the car to come to him as he has had enough of all the chasing, the other two men seem scared but don't want to let their friend down so they are still ready for it but are hiding. In the background you also get a view of the gold plated shop which shows they are in a place they shouldn't be as it looks posh and upperclass but they do not which could be the reason why the police men are chasing them. The camera then changes quickly to a close up of the damaged car and you see the driver with his two hands off the wheel whilst holding two guns and in slow motion says 'You have been ordered to remain silent!' this gives the effect that even though he is half way through the sky and is about to hit another car and put his own life at danger he is still doing his job. The two minutes end with the bullet hitting the car window and it smashing which shows the man is aiming in the right direction.

 

Analysing the Horror Film "Nightmare on Elm Street":

 

Horror analysis:

(opening two minutes)
 

Nightmare on Elm Street:

At the start of the film it just shows the title which is bright red with a black background which suggests that there is going to death, blood and horror in this movie, by not even seeing the film yet the audience are getting scared. To draw the audience in it is also silent to draw tension and make the audience aware of what is about to happen.

Quickly it then it then focuses on this heavy boots clomping along the ground which quickly grabs the viewers attention, it sounds like his feet are damp which suggets that he doesn't ever wash.

He walks as if he has just learnt which suggets he isn't a normal person or he is very hurt which may link to him being angry and could suggest why he is the main character in the film.

Again you do not see is face it just does a high angle, close up of his hands, you can see he is emptying a bag of tools. This would make the audience feel uncomfortable and wonder what he is going to do or has done with those tools. He then grabs a sharp knife which he takes over to a glove and he cuts bits up. Everything he picks up makes a noise which may make the audience feel unpleasant and may not want to watch. You get a long shot of his glasses which tells the audience that he is a person because he wouldn't be a monster and wearing glasses, although it may make them think that he has stollen them from one of his victims which again would make them feel uncomfortable and scared.

In the background you can hear heavy breathing which make cause tension and make the audience feel frightened, you can also see steam which makes you wonder where he is and what he is actually doing because if he was a regular person then he would have a house that he could go to do whatever he is actually doing.

He is making a weapon using his bare hands which shows that he is

Indestructible and this would make the audience again frightened. You then get a close up of what he has made- it is a glove which has knifes coming off the fingers. This then shows that he is going to hurt someone badly. He then opens his hands and the music becomes very upbeat and scary, this would make the viewers wonder what heis going to do next and want to carry on watching. Then 'Nightmare' comes up and it is bright red and it is in the style of blood dripping, you can now tell that this film is not going to auwell!

The scene then quickly goes to the glove going through a sheet which is similar to a curtain, it does a close up shot of the knifes slicing quickly through. You hear screaming and a tearing sound which straight away grabs the audience's attention making the film officially a Horror film. It then goes to a close up of a young teenage girl who looks so scared that she has gone pale, in this part they have used a blonde, pretty girl who the man is after which shows they are stereotyping young, gullibly girls. They go to an extreme close up on her face which shows she has been crying as you can see her make up has smudged, the audience would start to feel sorry for this girl and they would want to help her but then it is only a film. In the background you can hear the man is breathing heavily and you can hear a faint screaming sound from other people suggesting he is also after them and he can be in more than one place. There is then a long shot of a corridor which is wet and you see the girl but only the outline of her, she is in a nighty which shows she was taken from her bed. This would make the audience wonder how she got from her house to the middle of no where and make the suspicious. The music becomes high pitch and brings in excitment and the audience are going to become worried but want to carry on to see what happens next. Her breathing comes upbeat as she is running and you can tell she is beggining to get so scared and she doesn't know where to go or what to do, you then hear his voice but is hard to know what he is saying as it is very mubbled. It goes silent and you hear a door slam but no one is there, all of a sudden a sheep comes out of no where and is going crazy! The audience would be completly shocked, and thinking where has this come from? Why is it there? What is it doing? The fear on the girls faced has increased and you hear the mans laughs and it ecos over the corridor this brings tension to the scene.

Analysing The Horror Film "Scream":

(Opening two minutes)

(Scream)

Straight away the scene starts with people screaming and in bold letters there is the title of the film this gives a great effect because straight away it has got the audience hooked into the film, also the title is in red which suggests blood and death. The scene then begins with the phone ringing and a strange man talking into it, the innocent teenage girl answers the phone she is obviously home alone and is very gullibly to life- stereotypically she is young, thin and blonde and is a bit stupid. She seems quite flirty even though she doesn't know who it is this would make the audience want to tell her to stop what she is doing and remind her that she doesn't actually know who she is talking to.

 

It then shows a long shot of her house from the back making it feel like there is someone behind the camera who is there and is going to jump out. It would make the audience have their full attention to what is going on so they don't get scared and jump. he person on the phone then brings up horror this is so obvious that he is strange and he wants to encourage her to talk to him but at the same time it is bringing out her character because she is saying that she likes horror films but she isn't realising what she is drawing herself into.

To draw tension to the scene she then pulls a knife out which makes a slicing noise, this would send shivers down the audiences backs as they know something is going to happen to her and she had knives out in reaching distance.

 

The camera is constantly looking at the girl but in the background there is always a bit of the window to make the audience feel uncomfortable and look for someone who is going to creep up on her and make them jump. She then realises what is happening and the music goes to a pause and there is a deep dong which brings out more tension, you them here a dog barking which suggests there is something going on outside which is agitating it which brings tension to the scene and makes the audience wonder what is going on outside and if he is actually there and everything he has been saying was true.

Peer Assessment:

 

 

I think that Lydia has achieved level 3 because she has recognised a range of genre conventions and has started to analyse the appeal to target audience.

To improve she needs to make links to other films. 

Target Audience for Romance Genre:

Target Audience for Romance Genre:

The audience that romantic films are usually aimed at ages 12-18 or maybe older but usually it is aimed at teens. They also compare themselfes to them because they are either really English, posh and rich which most people want to be like, or they are really American again rich, posh and stunning. The reason teens like this is because they want to be like them and want a relationship like them.  The reason teenages usually watch this is because they can relate to not finding love interests and it reassures them that they will.

Romantic films are also normally filmed when it is Christmas where it is romantic and women the age of 40 who do not have any one and are feeling lonely can again relate to this. It does normally make them feel like they will eventually find love and this is why people go and watch them.

From the information in the picture next to this you can see that the majority of people that go to see Bridget Jones are women the age of 45+. This suggests that they are single, lonely women who are trying to be reassured that one day, who ever you are will find love.

33% of men went to see this film suggesting they were dragged there by there girlfriends to watch a romantic film or they are in touch with their feminine side. This also shows  the film is very    successful and was very popular.                     

Codes And Conventions of Romance:

 

 

 

Codes and Conventions of Romance:



 

1. Audience: Aimed at female audience.

2. 12 – 15 certificate to maximise the audience.

3. A typical romance genre would include sexuality, status, gender and relationships.

4. Narrative: falling in love, dating, kissing.

5. Often a voiceover is used to introduce the love theme.

6. Main characters are introduced – attractive female and male.

7. Setting: they are normally set in an urban environment, a beach, a school etc, places where a chance encounter would happen.

8. When a romance film opens, it is likely that much of the setting will be shown to the audience from the use of establishing shots and wide shots showing characters and much of the setting and area behind them.



Romance Cliches:

 

 

Romance Cliches:

 

 

The most obvious cliches of a romance film are:

  

- The most obvious one is the boy meets a girl and its love at first sight, the boy then looses the girl and then they get back together, but that is not true. For the most part, the boys have nothing to do with it. The cliche that actually occurs in the classic romance films is that the female lead almost never ends up with the man she was originally supposed to spend the rest of her life with.

 

- Romances normally show the 'Prince Charming' who everyone falls in love with and that one girl ends up with him who they didn't expect.

 

- They normally show the family life with the pushy but loveable mother who is always getting involved,

confused father,

the fat, mouthy but lovely girlfriend,

the gay neightbour, best friend or co-worker who is always there and knows what it is like to be heart broken.

 

- Dance can save the marriage and make it romantic.

 

- There is always a dramatic scene.

 

- Someone dies, hurt or ill,

 

- Car crashes or sudden divorces.

 

- There is always a break up where the man or women goes to the airport or goes to the train station to leave and then realises he is making a massive mistake.

 

- Rich english man who takes control and always seems to make suprises.

 

 

 



Horror Analysis Of "Drag Me To Hell":

Horror analysis:

(opening two minutes)

 

'Drag me to hell'



The first opening scene i decided to analyse was 'Drag me to Hell' the reason i have chosen to look into this film is because from the first 2 minutes i can see that it relates to other horror films but in my opinion it has a different story film. Although you can tell that the people in the opening two minutes are not going to be in the film throughout because they dont speak English and the audience would loose interest if they had to read subtitles thoughout the film. 

As they begin the scene it is very dramatic but also at the same time it seems to be quite racist because they are being stereotypical about Gypsy's having powers to put curses on people. The opening shot is a long shot of the house which looks empty and has lots of bushes and trees as the surroundings.

It stats with the boy saying what has happened and it introduces us into the film. In he background there is music which sounds like the gypsies are humming as if they were coming to get him and they they have him he can't get away, it reminds me of when someone if playing and instrument and trying to get the snake to come out of the basket.

As the mother pulls out the necklace from his shirt it tells the audience that the curse has started to happen as from when she takes it a fly comes out with it which suggests that the necklace is dirty and the curse is coming. Straight away the scenes goes from the boy being outside and looking relatively fine to him sweating and looking really ill wrapped up, this suggests that they have moved on quickly as they don't want the audience to get bored to quickly at the beginning of the film.

 The music then becomes more up beat to bring more tension and draw the audience in, you then get a full shot of the ceiling as if you were him laying there. You see gypsies with long nails trying to grab him, this gives the effect that you feel sorry for the boy and you want to help him.

The scene then goes silent and you hear the door  creak this would then draw the audience in because for that one second you wonder who it is and what's going on. The lady which they think is going to cure him comes in saying a pray, then unexpectedly a scream comes in and it attaches the parents and the boy tries to run but the audience know for a fact that he won't get away. The boy then gets thrown over the side, he doesn't move for around a second, this would make the audience be on the edge of their chair as they instantly think he is dead suddenly the parents shout his name. The audience who are parents would put them In a position of what to do if it was their child. The boy isn't dead and moves but all of a sudden the ground cracks and he gets sucked up and all you see is his hand and him shouted this is when the audience would have realised why the film is called 'Drag me to Hell' the scene then finishes with the lady saying 'we will meet again' this gives the effect that she is going to find out a way to find him and it may reassure the audience but then it may make them think that they will meet again when he is evil. Also from what I can see she doesn't seem that scared or upset. This makes me think that she was always on their side and they prayer she was saying didn't mean anything.

 

 

Target Audience For Action Genre:

 

 

Target audience for action genre:

 

 

Action genre consists of Heroes and Villains, Fights, Explosions and crashes, Anger, Big cities which are genrally modern and Massive destruction. Action films are generally aimed at males but  depending on what type of action movie it is. Films such as Mission Impossible III is aimed at an older audience and more towards the male population which consist of the extensive action sequences.
Generally, action films are geared towards the young male adolescent age group, because boys tend to like action movies more than females. Just like Romance films are geared towards women because they react to romance better than men do.

From this i can see that action films are very popular as one of the most favourite action films (X-Men) is at the top at the best selling. This suggests to me that people from all over the country are going to see the film.

 

 

 

Codes And Conventions Of An Action Genre:

Codes and conventions of an action genre:

 

•   12/15 certificate: maximising youth audiences so that it draws in a young audience and to make the film as successful as possible.
• Just because it is an action film it doesn't mean it has to be jam packed with fighting which shows it is Often hybridised with Sci-Fi/Adventure/Romance.
• Major Hollywood studio produced and distributed which suggests it will be a successful film.


• High production values including CGI suggests it will use a lot of effects and technology which is modern.

• Fast paced editing to make the scenes dramatic and because it is going so fast it draws the audience in because they are trying to keep up.
• Predictable chain of events – cause and effect.
• Dramatic non-diegetic sound gives the effect that the situation is tense.

• Combines action set-pieces with serious themes, character insight and emotional power.

There are many cliches and conventions of an action film for example:

• Several large men possessing a preposterous level of upper body musculature will be betrayed
• In the contemporary action film, the villains are either heavily accented Russians, Serbs, or unidentified.
• The villians are usually cigar-smoking thugs from south of the border, or untrustworthy Arabs, or villainous bureaucrats from Washington or London.
• The women in action films tend to be promiscuous femmes fatales or crusading journalists or medical support staff or hapless rebels or victims.
• If the film is in the martial arts genre, the hero should repeatedly run up the wall to kick somebody in the face, and ninjas should fly through the air on invisible wires.

 

 

 

 

How The Reoccurring Themes In The Horror Films Reflect On The Audience:

How the reoccurring themes in Horror

 films reflect on the audience:

 

In horror films the camera work is very expressive which is why the audience is so drawn into the film and then it will be a quite scene and someone will jump out unexpectedly. They repeat this throughout most horror films which makes a horror films what is it.

Most horror films are very obvious to work out what is going on and what is going to happen, but because of the way they draw you in it makes the audience forget about the story plot they are just concerned about what is going to happen to the characters.

Although handheld shots make it difficult for the audience to work out what is happening which reoccurs in most horror films which would also draw in the audience because they would be curious to know what is happening. They also do close ups which makes it difficult to see when the creature is coming which could scare the audience but that is what people who are watching horror films want to happen.



Target Audience For Horror Films:

 

 

Target Audience:

 

The Target audience for a horror film is usually teens to young adults depending on the age rating which is usually 15+.

The reason they are rated 15+ usually is because if a 5 year old watched it they would be scared and it wouldn't really be very appropriate for a child it would make them afraid of everything. Obviously some children would react in different ways.

Horror is a genre that aims to create a sense of fear, panic and dread for the audience. which is why children are not allowed or supposed to watch them. These films are often unsettling and set out to scared the audience by showing them their worst fears and nightmares. Horror films usually have an evil force, person or event. Many Horror films include creatures (monsters) such as ghosts, vampires, and zombies. Traditionally, Horror films show a large amount of violence and gore to make the film more realistic. Athough it has its own style compared to other films, but then they link to Fantasy, Thriller, and Science-Fiction genres.