Soul Focus Group Analysis

questions :

1) what is your favourite thriller film?

2) what do we like about thriller film?

3) which thriller films didn't work out and why?

4) if you were to make a film of your own what would be sure to include?

the first questions was to get a rough idea of what films these guys have seen and what they liked about them, from there I could then feed into the information they have given me and see why they like them thrillers, considering that the age these guys were at is what our target audience is.

one of the films choose was "the 6th sense" which was very well known for having one of the most remembered plot twists. This was something that the members of the group found very good and thought it made a lot of thriller films work, to have false endings and plot twists.

Another was "Kieri" which was a physiological supernatural thriller, which is actually kind of like what Soul is pitching at. Saying that the girls supernatural powers was a result for most of the action happening in the film and made it quite suspenseful in the end. This information was very helpful so that we knew we should include a lot more of the Xaviour as well as Grace's powers in the final film and let the audience know how they work and what they can do.

The common answer here to what people like the most in thrillers was what we said before about the plot twists and false endings but also the cinematography and positioning of camera angles. I was glad that they picked up on this so I could comment on how different camera angles mean different things and interpretations. we would be sure to include a lot of hidden meanings behind all of our camera angles and why we put them there. Another thing was also the suspense and tension building up to jump scares and intense action sequences that would surprise the audience unexpectedly. to import this into our film we made sure that through out the opening when Grace and Demi, the protagonist and antagonist, were clashing we have the camera angles represent a power struggle between the two using canter, point of view, and high and low angles.

We also talked about how some Thrillers have a ridiculously false story that just didn't grab audience with either a story that doesn't make sense or a plot twist that just doesn't make sense. We made sure to take this into consideration and triple checked the story line for plot holes and to ensure that the plot twist would make perfect sense but at the same time not be to predictable.

I'll admit we did have to re think certain scenes that took place later in the film to make sure it was believable to an extent.

Lastly I asked this question of what the rest of the group would be sure to include if they had to make a film of there own. Again they linked back to the cinematography and said that is was vital to include in any film, especially thrillers. This made us think even more about camera angles and where they should be in comparison to the structure of the story and character position.

Devon also commented on sound choice and how important it was to compliment what is happening at a specific point in the story. in response to this statement we carefully went through a playlist of original pieces by an un official artist on youtube known as SaberClaw and picked out 4 soundtracks out of 60 to edit into our opening at the right moments where the scene is suppose to capture emotion of Grace's past to the chase scene when she escapes to make it intense.

Over all we decided to take the camera angles and story line into consideration the most to make sure everything had hidden means as well as false leads but at the same time still making sense. also we worked more on the storyline to work through it thoroughly and ensure that everything falls into place while keeping the tension of chases as well as quick cut flash backs.  

Soul: Focus Group





Soul: original mind map and planning

The reason we changed the gender of Anton to Demi was to further develope the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist in the beginning and throught the film and to make the break up and friction between them more effective and suprising to the audience. We also took inspiration for this from Merissa from the film "Hanna" which adressed breifily the relationship with her and Hanna thought the film.

the plot seems to follow through and flow however what we hope to do throught the film is to mix up some of the events, for example in the beginning will be straight to the interigation room instead of when the car accident occured. This takes inspiration from the film "Momento" where the events of the story are all mixed up and as the audience watches different events it slowly pieces together for the final ending. Also it could mirror how broken Grace became from this story and what an impact it had on her life.

 

Soul: Audience profile

We all decided that the target audience for our thriller film would be mostly aimed at teenagers and young adults ranging from 15 to 25 years of age. This was because most of the elements that were implemented into the film and story are hidden scenarios and difficulties that teenagers may deal with, causing them to relate more to Grace and her predicaments. Also the fact that most of the cast apart from Demi and some members of her organisation are mostly under the age of 20 the character overall became more relatable and appealing to the younger teenage audiences. A film that is all about younger people do normally tend to appeal to a younger audience of their same age range. We also wanted to have Soul appeal to the mainstream thriller fans so that the film could gain an increasing amount of popularity as well as a block buster amongst popular thrillers to date.

 How would we do this?

From the research and questionnaires we sent out we gathered enough info to then figure out how we would convey the right audience to watch our film. Since "Soul" will mostly be aimed at a teenage audience between 15 to 20 we would have to relate to that specific age range as well as interests. For this to happen throughout the film the setting will mostly be in that environment where a teenager would go, for example a messy home environment, high school facility as well as letting Grace have her emotions reflecting depending on where she would be. Also the common challenges and predicaments which Grace would face throughout the film would end up reaching out to the young teenage audiences as they would see a lot of challenges they personally would have to face within Grace and her decisions.  Furthermore the way Graces attitude would impact specific topics would almost act as a role module for the younger audience which would encourage them to watch the film, not only for the story but perhaps guidance or to fill a gratification from watching Graces character change and evolve to face the challenges she does in the film.

We took the inspiration of having a young role module as the protagonist who would heavily influence a teenage audience from ‘Hanna’ .As the protagonist Hanna is forced to travel, train as well as fight all by herself with no guidance from parents in order to survive and reach her goals. We also wanted this determination and head strong attitude to shine through Grace in ‘Soul’ as it would captivate audiences and almost gain a respective attitude towards her while watching her story. Furthermore the uniqueness of having a young female protagonist in a thriller film would perk people’s interest to watch the film or fall in love with the fact that the film, although following codes and conventions, does not follow the stereotype of having a young male as the protagonist of the story.

To attract the main stream thriller fans we made sure that it followed all of the correct codes and conventions however at the same time staying out of the trap of becoming a stereotypical thriller film. By becoming unique from other thriller films this would instantly grab people’s attention and interest to watch the film, gravitating hype and popularity for it.

 

The intense action would be enough to keep the main stream fans happy and captivated to watch the film while at the same time the psychological and hidden themes of Graces back story and emotions would capture the interest of the teenage audience. Despite seeming like a small target audience to aim for at the same time the broadness of thriller fans and how easy it is to spread information through teenagers would work well in our favour, both keeping the audience happy as well as spreading word of the film rapidly.     

 

 

The Third Man Codes and Conventions Analysis

'The Third Man' was one of the first Thriller films to be made, using the correct codes and conventions to conjure up this suspenseful and twisting story it also had a sub genre of Crime. The story follows an author by the name of Holly Martins who gets a job request from his ex school friend Harry Lime however upon arriving in a post war Vienna he only discovers that Harry has been killed in a traffic accident. While talking to some of his companions and friends about his death Martins then comes to realise that all the stories don't add up and vows to investigate what really happened.

For being the first Thriller film made you can easily spot where some of the codes an conventions originated from as well as seeing their early effect, only to grow within the modern development of technologies with better equipment and editing software.



As we can see, because of the old age of the film the colours are all in black and white, which could also give way for the future convention of dull colouring and using the dark tones and colours to create this very serious, intense and sometimes eerie atmosphere. it also makes it very easy to distinguish shadows as well as a night scene which adds more effect to the intensity.

The position of the characters against the stairs and the tilted camera angles  shows the power struggle between both of them, as an unknown character is on a higher level than the protagonist, slightly towering over the camera as well as the audience creating an unsettling feeling towards who this man could be. Also the fact that he is slightly off to one side shows that he is not glorified in a way, like the Protagonist for example, in the middle of the camera shot.

Further more the view on the protagonist against the set of stairs almost disorientates the audience in a way of not know where they lead, which could also symbolise how the character may be feeling, in an unknown place he has never been before.

 In this frame here we see one of the characters with the camera zooming into his face in an extreme close up, as he turns around the soundtrack is drawn out to build up tension as the audience doesn't find out who or what he was looking at.

 The next few frames involve a chase scene where the use of the dull lighting corresponding with the black and white of the films age is used to create a very intense and suspenseful atmosphere. Also the shadow on the floor and wall almost create a sense of danger as the audience as well as the characters are surrounded by unknown enemy's.

 The next frame has an extreme contrast of light and dark, as the protagonist is seen from the light of above going down into the dark depths of the underground which is a clear sign of danger and foreshadowing as to what evil events may unfold.

In the next frame we see the dark depths of the underground tunnels however a bright light coming from a passage way which the black silhouette of the character is running towards, could be a sign of a way out and that this character is finally escaping from whatever or whoever is pursuing him.

Furthermore this film also contains the plot twist that could have started off the convention for all thriller films, the fact that Martins was trying to figure out what happened to lime and what caused his death however it then becomes apparent that he was never killed in the first place, catching the audience off guard and further adding to more of the story instead of find out what happened, it also opens up why he did it and if he gets caught or not.

Se7en Codes and Conventions

Plot:

Two homicide detectives are on the hunt for a serial killer claiming that his murders are justified by purging the world of people who bare the seven deadly sins of man including lust, gluttony, pride, wrath, greed, envy and sloth.

Through out the thriller film Seven many of the codes and conventions are put into play for the further effect of the film and these are some of them.

The first thing I must draw out is the opening, with it’s soundtrack in the background sounding completely computerised and an almost straining note for an instrument. It also makes use of quick editing and cuts closing in on writing timed perfectly with the soundtrack. This almost gives the audience a view on how the story may be played out. This makes the audience feel unsettled in think if this is the opening then what may come next? 

As you can see in this image the contrast of dull colours as well as the raining adds to the serious tone of what has happened in the story so far opening the audience up what could happen and almost mirroring the disasters. The setting is also extremely unwelcoming which could suggest that the area, as well as society, is in a rough state and giving the audience the impression that what ever has happened here, we will find out soon enough. 

In this scene you can see that the camera angle is quite low as if the detectives are towering over it which could indicate the states where the audience lays, completely in the dark as to what is going on .It could also show that they are both on the same level with each other and not higher than the other.

In this shot you can see that the only source of light is coming from the torch which gives the impression that the audience cannot see what is to come as well as leaving the protagonist vulnerable. Also the camera yet again seems to be at a lower state as the protagonist towers over them which could be showing a power struggle as if we should really trust what the protagonist is up to. 

In this shot the camera is moving toward the dead body as well as in total darkness. This makes the audience anticipates what the body may look like, how the murder was done and what damage it sustained. The complete darkness might also show that death has already taken over and it’s hopeless to stay there. 

Audience Research analysis

From the data we gathered from our surveys it has been clear that ages can effect what films we like or are interested in as well as what makes a thriller film for us.

Question 1 was to get an idea of the age range we were dealing with and as it turns out most of the people who took the quiz was the correct age range we were aiming for having a mix of teenagers to young adults.

Age from Blitzura

Question 2 was, after distinguishing the age, was to then discover the gender of our audience which was vital in terms of asking about thrillers.As the results show, and as we suspected, the majority of the gender who took the test was males compared to females.  

Male or female? from Blitzura

Question 3 was asked in order to see how many people actually enjoyed thriller films and if they didn't to find out what answers would come next in order to discover why they didn't and perhaps change their mind through the production of soul. However everyone who took the quiz tocked yes for liking thrillers. 

Question 4:

(What is your preferred sub genre)

Sci-Fi	6
Fantasy	3
Romance	0
Horror	3
Crime	3
Mystery	4
Comedy	5

From the results shown in the table with a select few of people chosen from the survey it is clear that sci-fi is the most popular thriller film for 15 – 25 year olds. This could be because sci-fi storylines don’t always have to have truth in them as well as having a lot of freedom with when they can be set for example in an alternate world, future ect.

Preferred sub genre? from Blitzura

Question 5:

(what do you think makes a good thriller film?)

Story line	5
Plot twist/ false ending	4
Good effects	2
Protagonist vs Antagonist	1
Good actors	3
Likable characters	3

Graph 2 from Blitzura

From the results show above it’s clear to see that the most important feature in making a good thriller film is a good story line to build up upon. This could be if you do not have a decent set up for your film you cannot make up for this missing important feature by having all of the other options available.

Question 6:

(What wouldn’t you want to see or would spoil the experience for you when watching a thriller film?)

Most of the answers for this question again linked back to the story line where the thing that would spoil it the most ofr anyone is if the story was cliché or offers no development, predictability, twist’s that don’t make sense and if the action of the thriller goes a stray from the original story line.

Question 7:

(if you are going to see a thriller film what aspects keep you interested or wanting to watch it ? )

For this question all most all responses where the story and plus driven action that drives the plot forward whether it's in the right direction or leading to a false lead. furster most of the answeres also said in order to hold up and carry the story to the end and keep audiences attention it has to have great and believable characters.

Question 8: 

(What is your favourite Thriller Film? Why?)

we got a very mixed response for this ranging from Six sense because of the plot twist at the end to Psycho because of it's suspenseful and chilling moments.  

the reason for is asking this question is so we could take a look at other sample films, see what was so great about them and then implement what audiences loved about them into our film while still keeping it's original touch however tweaking a few things to appeal to our target audience better. 

Question 9:

 (If you were going to make a thriller film of your own what would you be sure to include )

                      

Good actors	4
Interesting story line	6
Eye catching	3
Plot twists	4
Decent effects	3

if you made a thriller film of your own from Blitzura

We decided to ask these pacific questions so that in the production and planning of our own thriller film we would be able to avoid mistakes that other films in the past have made which perhaps could have been marketed and sold better if they improved something or if a specific feature was taken out could of made the film a block buster.

We indeed took these results and put them to good use for our planning, making sure we focused a lot of attention on the story line, making sure it made complete sense as well as grabbing for our target audience. Also trying to maintain a unique feel to it as we set out to make a thriller film not obvious and straight forward as most from others.

In response to the answers we got from this we then made sure to check over our story and make many alterations to further enhance it's meanings, themes, plots and over all intenseness while at the same time adding in a major plot twist towards the end. This was made to surprise the audience as the response showed us that this was a favoured subject in the questionnaire despite the story line being well written; which in our opinion was vital anyway. 

Further more the preferred genre was Sci-fi while following that was mystery which also played in with the alterations of the story line. We made sure that these sub genres where mixed in with the already existing story line in order to appeal to a wider audience as well as keep it interesting with serving many plot twist's and unexpected events. 

Audience questionnaire

Thriller questionnaire.

1) Age:                                        

2) Gender:

3)Do you like Thriller films?

Yes: (       )           no: (       )

4) What is your preferred thriller sub-genre?

Sci-fi (   )

Fantasy (   )

Romance (   )

Horror (   )

Crime (   )

Mystery (   )

Comedy (   )

Other  (   )

Please specify

5) what do you think makes a good thriller film?

story line (   )

plot twist/false ending (   )

Good effects (   )

Protagonist vs antagonist (hero vs villain) (   )

Good actors (   )

Likeable characters (   )

Other (   )

6) What wouldn’t you want to see or would spoil the experience for you when watching a thriller film?

7) if you are going to see a thriller film what aspects keep you interested or wanting to watch it ?

8) What is your favourite Thriller Film? Why?

__________________________________________________________ _____

9) If you were going to make a thriller film of your own what would you be sure to include ( Tick as necessary)

Good actors (   )

Interesting story line (   )

Eye catching (   )

Plot twists (  )

Decent effects (   )

Other ( please specify )

_____________________________________________________________________________

all of the above was enlisted in our audience questionnaires to get a better grasp of peoples tastes in thriller films, what they would like to see, what puts them off and what sub genres they enjoy. We hope to use this information to aid us in the production process of our thriller film

Taken opening analysis

Silence of the Lambs opening analysis

Silent Hill Revelations opening analysis

Hanna Codes and Conventions

Hanna, a young teenage girl has the strength, stamina and smarts of a solider because of the strict training her father, an EX-CIA, member, put her through. All to become the perfect assassin. When Erick, her father, believes Hanna is ready he then sends her into the deep end of the world on a journey across Europe, trying to stay under the radar of a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own. As she nears her final target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

This film does stay strict and follow many of the Codes and Conventions that are used in thriller films for example the contrast and shades of colours usually being quite dull, quick cuts and edits in time with non digetic music as well as false endings and foreshadowing.

Further more it was stated in an interview behind the scenes of Hanna that all of the soundtracks and scores used in the film were all computer generated and none were live music recorded. 

 In these multiple images theses are all quick cuts in time to a gun sound. This could be triggered by Hanna having a quick but short memory of her mother or This is also linked to the fact that she died by 3 bullets which could mirror why the sounds matches the cuts. Because of how little time we got to see her mother it could leave the audience puzzles and wondering how it was we had just seen , then making it clear later on in the film. Further more the colours are quite dull and this could be linked to because Hanna doesn’t recall much of her mum as well as keeping the serious thought in her head. 

Here we see a contrast in the tone of shades with it almost being like a sanctuary for Hanna before all the action starts. This cold mirror her feelings about the world having the snow as her comfort zone and being isolated from the outside world. 

This image on the other hand is very solid and dull with the colour contrast as well as scenery keeping a very serious tone to the environment. Also the reflection of the windows on the floor almost gives an optical illusion of it being a bigger room than it is almost disorientating the audience making them feel uneasy about this place and what the protagonist could be thinking there. Both images act as opposites to each other as well as characters alike where Hanna’s home is free in the wild where as Marissa is locked in this study building. This could then further more lead to foreshadowing that their environments and personalities will eventually clash.

  In these next few images we see another example of quick cuts in sync with intense music completely mirroring the seriousness of the situation Hanna is in. The massive contrast with bright shinning lights in the pitch blackness of the night really captures the tones of the capture and also how all the solders are stationed outside the cabin anticipate what might happen next. This makes the audience wonder what might happen next as well as being able to see what exactly is going on outside of the cabin where as Hanna cannot. It also puts us at time in her perspective through first person camera shot being able to experience how strange and frightening this all may appear. The sharp lighting also builds tension and suspense as where the bright light hits, solid black figures appear creating an eerie atmosphere adding to the non digetic soundtrack playing in the background.       

                                                                             

                                          

 In this scene we are first introduced to the antagonist, which is where the action starts. Even though Hanna is aiming at the camera that Marisa is watching through the fist person prospective on her is very real as we see the shock in her face as to how dangers her enemy is and what she is capable of. Here we see her first sign of fear as well as a glimpse of what could be foreshadowing. We also see a colour contrast with Hanna being in the lighter room and Marisa in the darker room as well as both leaning opposite directions indicating a power struggle. The effect of the light shows the Hanna is in the right where Marissa is in the wrong, giving the audience a clear picture of who is good and evil.

In this image the window in which Marisa is stations with the screen from the camera reflects off of the window further more showing a power struggle with the two finally clashing. The fact that Hanna is a faded image in the reflection could show how much Marisa underestimates her and how little she knows of her almost like a ghostly figure haunting her.

This scene is another part matching the score in the background however there is a chase happening which the music mirrors very well. The dull facility and the flashing bright lights against the dark create a very intense and interesting chase. Also with the first person prospective camera on Hanna when running to the lockdown door is very intense as it keeps switching between the two, keeping the audience guessing if she will make it through or not. This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as Hanna may not make it and if she gets trapped what would she do and if Marissa finds her.
 

 As you can see in this shot the camera is rotating round Hanna’s face as she is running with the lights continuously flashing in the background, mirroring her thoughts and panic about escaping the prison. It’s also very jittery, unstable and cuts at some points further expressing her worry and panic. The audience also gets into her person space showing her true feelings and seeing a part of her that was not shown before.
 

 In this scene the camera movement is extremely unbalanced and shaking all over the place as it closes in on Marissa showing how un easy she must be feeling as to what she has to do. If a tripod was used her while filming it wouldn't not have had the same unbalanced effect on the audience. The contrast of darkness also reflects on the mood of the scene and what is about to happen. In the next shot it closes up on the reloaded gun showing that she is armed and that fact that she has loaded it on screen give a sense of foreshadowing as to what will happen next and why she has done this. 

Here you can see that Marissa is towering over Hanna’s mother as if there is a power struggle and the way they are positioned on camera could show that the battle is still not over as long as Hanna is alive. Also the dark contrast with the mum could show that the end is soon to come for her as well as seeing the fire in the distance with Marissa could symbolise her hatred for Eric and her determination to get Hanna. 

Here in this image the audience can see the reflection of Eric in the mirror where as Hanna cannot. This could give the audience mixed feelings about his appearance as well as the fact he has not addressed to her that he is in the room showing that he may be uncertain as to what she may think of him. The close up gives the audience an idea of how lost she must be feeling while as the story goes on the more questions build up against her father as well as her own existence. It could indicate that both of them have arranged to meet here however she is starting to wonder whether it was the right choice to make.

 Here was can see a powerful colour contrast with total darkness and only the faint glimmer or light curving round the side of the tunnel . This could lead to the audience being left in the dark and uncertain as to what may happen next. Also they are put into the same shoes as the protagonist where they cannot see nor predict what may come. This builds up tension because we are unable to see what lurks in the shadows and guided by a small light meaning that we are in a dangers place and not knowing if Hanna will make it out alive, holding the audiences breathe if she will be all right.

Here we can see Hanna towering over the camera, Marissa’s point of view, as the power struggle is over. Also as the camera focuses on the gun it shows that Hanna is armed giving her more power and generating fear. This particular shot can be interpreted as in the beginning she was at the same level hunting the deer and that Marissa could simply symbolise nothing more than an animal being hunted. On the other hand this is the exact position Hanna’s mother and Marissa was in when she killed Hanna’s mum however this time the tables has turned and Hanna is the one with a high statues and more dangerous than Marissa.