Analysing 3 real media artifacts - Action Thriller trailers

The first action thriller trailer I analysed was:



Skyfall










I have analysed the opening scene of Skyfall, which is a very high budgeted film, produced by a Hollywood production company. Skyfall is part of a very long sequel so it makes tremendous amounts of money.






First of all we see James bond being followed through a hallway and down the stairs by a handheld camera. We see that James bond is dressed up in a very smart suit, this instantly represents his status in his job. From the very start of the film we are presented to the agonist actor of the film which is James bond and the antagonist which is his co-worker. We see that he is also carrying a gun in front of him as if he was ready to shoot someone, this suggests that he is hunting someone down and that we are about to witness an action packed opening scene. We then see a medium long shot of James bond, we can see the back of him walking through the door into the city. After we see James bond walk through the door, an establishing shot is used to set the location, we can see two very tight streets either side of the corner where james is stood, which is crammed with lots of people and cars passing through. Followed by a close up on James' face as he looks around to suggest he's waiting or looking for something. We then see the car pull up and the horn beeps, James then gets inside it, and they drive off. We see a subjective shot over James and the drivers shoulder and through the windscreen of the car in front. At this point the pace of the film starts to speed up and the cuts become faster; from the streets, to the two different cars and then too the faces of james and the driver. The quick cuts and the fast paced tense sound track creates an atmosphere for the viewers because it all gives us the impression something crazy is about to happen, this starts off an action thriller very well. We see a contrast between two different locations during the opening scenes. We witness a very serious but calm scene at the headquarters where Dench and her worker is, they are calmly updating the main character where they are situated and where there target is, followed to a fast packed scene where james bond and his worker are pacing through the streets in order to hunt this car down. The opening scenes are mysterious for the audience as we don't quite know why they are chasing the guy in the black Audi. As the two cars part side by side we see them both crash into each other followed by the stronger car which is the land drover force the audi up onto some hay forcing it to tip over, the car then carries on moving at a fast pace into a dangerous area where people are shopping at stalls. This scene has many quick cuts to emphasize how chaotic everything is. We see stalls tip over, fruit and veg rolling all over the place and scared passers-by who are running frantically for safety. Once the black Audi becomes at a stand still, another man dressed in a smart suit rolls out of the car firing a large gun directly at james and his worker inside the car, the windscreen smashes and they roll out and duck for safety. We see James whip out his gun and a gun fight begins. The synchronous noises of people screaming in the background emphasizes the seriousness of the scene and makes the viewers scared for them. The good thing about the opening clip is we witness the main actors of the film which is important because the viewers at home want to know from the start what they look like and what are their roles. The film also starts off at a very fast pace to set the genre of the film.




The opening sequence for Skyfall is very clever and exacting. Non-continuity editing is used at the start so that the film because the opening sequence contrasts between two different locations, the first one is the car chase through the city and the next scene is where Dench and her worker are situated in a relaxed office. The transitions are quick and unnoticeable which is good. There are many quick cuts and the film runs at a very fast pace, this makes sense as the film is an action thriller and straight from the start you are aware that this movie is action packed. Quick cuts from one scene to another make the scenes more dramatic and make it look as if there are many things going on. There are many synchronous sounds used at the start, for example we hear a lot of car horns but we can also see many cars on the street. We see and hear James bond load his gun in the car as he stares at the car in front. This makes the audience start to think he's going to shoot this person in front.



The second film I am going to analyse is:



The Purge











I wanted to find a film that had started of their opening sequence entirely different to what Skyfall had done. It was very hard finding a movie that had started off their film different to Skyfall, but then  came across the film called 'The Purge'.





The opening sequence of this film is  this film is started by two different quotes on separate clips. It is basically saying about the country of America is changing and is going to be reborn, this suggests that the movie starts off about all the bad things about America and as the movie progresses we start to see a  change. After the two quotes the opening sequence is them filmed by CCTV camera. The CCTV cameras are placed everywhere around a normal city. Houses, backstreets, shops and buildings all have CCTV cameras on them, there is no speech at all at the start the only thing you can hear is non-diegetic music, the sound track which plays whilst the CCTV clips are being shown actually sound quite upbeat and peaceful, this completely contradicts the film shown by camera. Maybe this is because they want to keep the viewers interested and if they played quite dramatic and loud music then this may give the viewers the impression the film is quite full on and violent; so it is cleverly done.


 The way in which the opening sequence is filmed provides realism for the viewers at home, everything that is seen on these cameras have occurred during an a normal day, no actors have been used at the start which is clever because it makes the audience feel quite sad because they are now aware how brutal life can be. The start of the film shows violence and un human like behaviour. We see large groups of people beating up people in the streets, we see people firing guns at each other and at car windows and buildings. We see large buildings and shops on fire which have obviously been started by gangs, so by watching the first minute or so to this film we have been given the impression that this involves a lot of violence and crime, with gangs ruling cities maybe? The directors have been clever by starting off a film this way because this intrigues the viewers because we want to know why we have been shown this and how it is relevant to the film we are about to watch. I have been given the impression that by the way the people have been introduced and the clothes they wear (jeans and vests) that the film is situated in the poorer parts of the country and perhaps have less money so they lead to crime. The mise en scene in the opening clips relate to the genre of the film, throughout the opening scenes we see baseball bats, guns and fists used to beat up people, this shows violence at its worst.





The editing style used at the start of this film is continuity editing, this makes the opening sequence flow smoothly so that it can tell the storyline. The transitions are unnoticeable and it just fades from one scene to another, the audience pays more attention on what the film shows than how it diverses from one scene to another.




The fact that the opening sequence is filmed by CCTV may suggest that the film is orientated around the government and the way in which crime effects people and the country. This makes the audience want to know who is behind these cameras and why they are not doing something about it.
The opening sequence also suggests that it is a low budget film because of the way they have decided to film the opening sequence. Usually high budget films would start off by producing a spectacle of an opening scene by showing off a variety of different camera angles but this film starts off by CCTV recording which is different.





The next film I am analysing is called:



Shutter island
















Shutter island's opening sequence was very clever because it made the audience want to know more to what happens next from the very beginning. We start off with a zooming in shot on two men who are standing on a pier. As the camera gets closer it becomes obvious that these two men are policemen, they look like they are very strict and are guarding something important. In the background we can also see two more men either side dressed in the same clothing, this suggests that this is a very protected area of land where nobody should go. This makes us want to know what these men are guarding and why are there so many of them. The sound track is upbeat, of a rather fast and dramatic pace and sounds like suspense music. Straight after we see a pan shot of two men dressed in beige suits and hats, there are two policemen either side of them which makes us think they are not welcome and that they are here for a serious reason, we are given the impression that these two men are detectives, although you'd think the policemen would be nice to them if they were effectively on their side, close ups on different policemen faces says otherwise. The police seem to follow and pay strict attention to these two men, with back up policemen behind with large guns. Guns tend to pay a massive part in almost every thriller, this is a very common way of making the storyline gripping and exciting, because usually people are shot with guns compared to other ways of death. eye line shots of the policemen furthermore show that they are never taking their eyes off of these two men.

Once the two men hop into the jeep, we then see a medium close up shot of the two men as they gaze up at a sign, the sign says "Remember us for we have too lived, loved and laughed" this quote may have some part to play in the film, we do not know. Above we can see that the sign says hospital and cemetery, this automatically gives me the impression that these two men are hear to solve a mystery of someone's death, I have got this impression by the clothes and hats that these two men are wearing. We notice that in the opening sequence we are presented to the two main characters in the film, an extreme close up on the protagonists face after seeing the sign shows us that he is worried and focused. We then see a pan shot as the car drives past us from right to left, in the background we can see a very large wall that goes on for miles. This suggests that this piece of land is a very well guarded and protected area.




The editing style used in this clip is continuity editing, the opening sequence flows smoothly and makes sense, the storyline flows smoothly as we are aware that these two men have been brought to this place and are here for a specific reason and need to be watched. As the jeep approaches the hospital the suspense sound track gets louder and faster to make the arrival of these two men more dramatic. Only synchronous sounds are used for example you can see and hear the car, there are no sound affects at the start which makes everything natural.





The start of this film is brilliant, as the plot and storyline is set straight away, we know that all these guards and policemen are hear to protect something and guard the place from intruders. The  we have instantly been introduced to the main characters which is part of the codes and conventions of a movie. We know that the two characters are here for a specific reason because they are dressed like detectives and they look like they are of a high status, when see the sign saying about hospital and cemetery we are given the impression that these two men are hear to analyse a dead body maybe? and find out how the death of someone occurred.

Preliminary Material

This is our preliminary material, me and lyle filmed a shot clip in the sixth form atrium. We included someone opening a door and walking through it, someone walking across a room and lastly we included the 180 degree rule.

I have learnt a few things whilst filming my preliminary material, for example I learnt what the 180 degree rule was, I learnt what effect it had on the scenes which was good. I also learnt furthermore about over the shoulder shot, which was shot reverse shot. This is mostly used when two people are in conversations with one another, this makes it look like the conversation is flowing freely and they are saying there bit aft the right time.

What I have learnt about the film industry in 2014

What I have learnt about the film industry in 2014:

I have learnt a lot about the film industry whilst preparing for our mock exams in January. For our mock exams we used two case studies. Thor 2 was the first case study which was from a Hollywood based production and the other was an independent film which was called In Fear. We gained knowledge of what happens at the start of a movie which includes planning and organising to the end of a movie which is distributing the film and receiving feedback. The first stage of film industry is the production stage. We start off with pre-production which is the planning of the movie, you look at the different types of locations where the film could be filmed, you set a budget so that you know how much you can spend when it comes to props and actors etc. You plan storyboards so that you gain an understanding of what your film is going to include and lastly look at casting, you have to approach the actors that you want to play a part in the movie, the more famous the actor is the more people you will get who come to watch your movie. After pre-production you move onto production, this stage is where all the filming is done; which I know is the most important part! The stage after production is post production; this is where the movie is edited so that it runs smoothly and makes sense. I’ve learnt that editing involves adding in sound effects and adding in lighting so that scenes look more of a higher quality and more realistic. The next stage is Marketing, I have learnt that the marketing of the film is one of the most important parts; the way you market a film can depend on the amount of viewers you attract and can affect your overall profit margin. The marketing stage involves viral campaigns, sponsorships and endorsements, you want this stage to attract as many viewers as you can, in a way you are advertising your film; institutions make the main actors go on well-known shows like the Graham Norton show and Alan Carr show, this is done to try and raise the profile of the film, this is a superb way of reaching out to a broader audience. Whilst studying in greater depth about Thor 2 I read a number of interviews online that the Film reviews and interviewers did, I read one interview where a reviewer said that the way in which Thor 2 have marketed there film is brilliantly, they have not only appealed the film to the natural fan bas but they have broadened their horizon and made many other viewers out there intrigued. I have learnt about the distribution of films now a days and how much new media technology has helped. The release of new media technology has benefited the film industry massively; it has made the filming and distributing of the movie 100 times easier.

  I have learnt a lot about cinema goers and what they are interested in whether they buy food at cinemas or not. 29% of cinema audiences are aged 15-24 which tells us that it is usually the younger generation who go to the cinemas. 646 films were released in the UK in 2012. Saturday is the most popular day for the box office, because you’ll find that most people are off work and are looking for something to do so they go to the cinema. Saturdays get 24% of the box office views. Sunday gets 17.6%, Friday gets 16.4%, Wednesday gets 13.5% and Monday, Tuesday and Thursday gets about 9.4%. Therefore, I learnt that Saturday is the most popular for the box office.


I have now become far more aware about the money that goes into these high budgeting films. The big Hollywood films now a days have millions put into them so that they can attract as many viewers as possible in a hope that the profit margin will be far more significant. The distribution of films within the last 50 years has become cheaper because of the modern technology. Usually all film production companies would use 35mm reel which would cost thousands to use and send off, films in this modern day are recorded by HD and sent off easily by email etc, this is one way how modern technologies have helped the film industry.


Large film production companies are now making sequels out of the better known films, this is a way of keeping your previous fan base in tact and so that they constantly support you. Sequels can make more and more money as they are made, for example The iron man sequels have made tremendous amounts of money, because each time they have released another movie they have attracted more and more viewers who are interested to see what all this commotion is about. Making sequels out of films now a days have become a real popular thing to do, it is an easy way of keeping your audiences interested. At the end of the movie a cliff-hanger is used so that the viewers are intrigued by what's going to happen next, this makes them want to watch the next movie, as you can see this process is relentless and is an easy way of keeping the profit margins high.

I have learnt about the differences between Hollywood and independent productions. Hollywood movies are always the more well-known movies as there are billions of pounds in these institutions  therefore they can afford to advertise I worldwide whereas independent productions have very low budgets in comparison to Hollywood. Therefore they spend less on actors and props and advertising which makes them less known.

Analysis of a film opening -

Analysis of a film opening:

I analysed the film called ‘Inside man’, inside man is a thriller about a bank robbery. It is my favourite film because they have made it gripping throughout the whole movie. We never know as the audience what is going to happen next and some of the happenings during the film are very clever. I watched a 3 minute clip on you tube of the start of the film, and although I have already watched it, it made me want to watch it again. We start off by seeing the company producers and distributers which was Universal. The next clip started off with a man directly addressing us (the audience), this makes us attracted to this man to listen closely to what he says, because seeing as it is the start of the film it suggests that what he’s got to say is very important. What he says is very gripping and entices us into the film within the first couple of minutes. The next scene starts off by filming a man in a very cramped room with only a bed and a dull light, already this has got us thinking into why he is in there and what has happened. The following scenes are focused on one matt black van as it travels through the streets of New York City, we then see this van pick up 3 people in different destinations around the city dressed in white overalls with what look like tool kits. The fact that the camera is focused on the van and the people inside suggests they have a big part to play within the film; automatically it gets us thinking whether these people are the robbers and what their plan is, as they must have some big part to play within this film. We also see close ups of the bank that is going to be robbed, this sets the scene and creates an atmosphere for the audience because we want to know now how they are going to rob it; it entices us to keep watching. The opening scenes of Inside man are very cleverly done. The opening scenes draw us into the movie instantly and make us keep watching, once you have fully watched the movie the opening scenes look so obvious and you’d think that it would give the movie away but it doesn’t, they don’t give away enough to make it look obvious, it is so clever. Inisde man have used the codes and conventions of the opening of a movie, The start of the film includes the agonsit and antagonisitic actors which is important. The start includes the title of the movie and includes the main actors, producers, distributers and directors etc. The genre of the film is stated and the film is made gripping from the start.

Codes and conventions of an opening film -

Codes and conventions of the opening of a film:

·         Have to include the main actors

·         Make it gripping

·         You should include the title of the movie

·         Should include the producers and distributors and actors  of the movie

·         Name of production company/companies

·         State the genre of the film

·         You should establish the mood and atmosphere of the opening sequence

What I learnt from my swede and preliminary task -

The technology that we used:

I learnt a lot of things from the process of making our swedes. First of all I learnt how to plan and organise a swede. I researched a lot to find out what people my age wanted to see (genre of film). After I had completed the planning of my swede we then had to use the technology available to film our swede, in this case it was a Nikon camera. I learnt how to direct a short film and use different camera angles to affect the atmosphere of the film. I had never noticed the different camera angles used in film until I had been introduced to it. Now I am fully aware of what the different types of camera angles I can use to add to a film. I learnt how to use logic cut pro on the apple macs which was very fascinating as we went from a good film to an excellent film by adding different lighting and sound effects. I then learnt how to use serif to design posters and prezi.com to plan presentations which all helped with the marketing of my swede. I also learnt how to use blogger where I posted everything that we had done in our little filming sessions etc. I learnt how to use movie maker where we made our trailer for our film. This developed my technical ability to use these different kinds of software. I gathered a lot of information and knowledge from making my swede, whether it be from filming the swede to editing the swede to showing the swede to the class, I learnt a lot from this process. I now believe I can use all the different kinds of software’s in a more technical and improved way which would improve my possible projects in the future.

Technology used for the preliminary task: 

For our preliminary task we had to film a short clip, we used canon recorder which was helpful as it was fast and did what we needed it to do. After we had filmed our short clip we then uploaded it onto the apple macs and into logic cut pro. I learnt how to import the video files and download onto logic cut pro which was very useful. Logic cut pro was easier the second time round because I was able to use my skills that I had acquired from the swedes into this short clip which improved it.