CASE STUDIES (DRAFT)

US Blockbuster (mainstream/franchise)
Furious 7

Genre: Action/crime/thriller
Release date: 3rd April 2015
Certificate: 12A
Budget: $190 million
Box office: $1.157 billion
Director/s: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham

Reviews: 82% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Awards: 
Visual effects: Paul Walker played one of the main characters in the franchise but died whilst talking a break from filming Furious 7. To continue filming, Universal contacted WETA Digital and they recreated a 3D model of his face and used motion capture to produce the computer generated actor.

Marketing

UK production (Financed within UK)

Submarine

Genre: Comedy and drama

Release date: 18th March 2011

Certificate:15

Budget: $1.9 million

Box office: $41 thousand

Directors: Richard Ayoade

Starring: Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine and Noah Taylor 

Reviews: 86% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Awards: Best screenplay - British independent film awards (2011)
Best feature/television film & Best actor - BAFTA awards, Wales (2012)
Visual effects: N/A

Marketing


US independent (low budget)
Birdman

Genre: Comedy/drama

Release date: 1st January 2015

Certificate: 15
Budget: $18 million
Box office: $103 million
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Starring: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone

Reviews:
Awards: Oscars: Best motion picture of the year
Visual effects: There is a few parts with in this film where visual effects are used. There is a scene where 2 shots are blended together. There is also parts where Michael Keaton appears as his character and as Birdman and so green screens and visual effects were used. There is also a scene in the film where there is an explosion and a CGI, robotic bird.

Marketing

World cinema production (Foreign language)

Case Studies

US Blockbuster (mainstream/franchise or popular genre)

Marvel's The Avengers

Genre: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction and Fantasy

Release date: 11th April 2012(USA) and 26th April 2012(UK)

Certificate (UK):12A
Budget: $220 million
Box office (Opening weekend): $207,438,708(USA) // £15,778,074(UK)
Director/s: Joss Whedon
Screen play by: Joss Whedon and Zak Penn
Starring:Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Hiddleston

Based on the comics which was first published in September 1963

This means the film already had an audience. Those who read the comics were waiting for the comic to be adapted into books so when it came out in cinemas, they went to see the film.

Reviews: All critics on rotten tomatoes rated this movie 92%

Marketing

UK production (Financed within UK)

Submarine

Genre: Comedy and drama

Release date: 3 June 2011(USA) and 18 March 2011(UK)

Certificate (UK):15

Budget: $1.9 million

Box office (Opening weekend): $41,832
Director/s: Richard Ayoade
Screen play by: Richard Ayoade
Starring: Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine and Noah Taylor 

Marketing

Reviews: All critics on rotten tomatoes rated this movie 86%

US Independent (Low budget)

Insidious

Genre: Horror

Release date: 1st April 2011(USA) and 29th April 2011(UK)

Certificate (UK):15
Budget:$1.5 million
Box office (Opening weekend):$13,271,464(USA) // £1,441,292(UK)
Director/s: James Wan
Screen play by: Leigh Whannell
Starring:Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey

Reviews: All critics on rotten tomatoes rated this movie 66%

Marketing

World cinema production (Foreign language)

Que vive (insecure)

Genre: Drama

Release date: 16 May 2014 (2014-05-16) (Cannes) and 12 November 2014 (2014-11-12) (France)
Certificate (UK):
Budget:
Box office (Opening weekend):
Director/s: Marianne Tardieu
Screen play by:
Starring: Reda Kateb, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Rashid Debbouze

Reviews:

Marketing

How does the use of editing and cinematography create sadness in Charlie's mental breakdown sequence in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Link to the clip

The sequence opens as Sam and Patrick are leaving the main character, Charlie, as they move away to college. The performance of both actors, Emma Watson and Logan Lerman, paired with their body language and facial expressions show their obvious sadness about this situation. The camera is hand held and so shakes slightly, telling me Charlie feels unstable about his friends moving away. Along with this, the non-digetic music playing along with the scene is slow and uses string instruments, music that typically accompanies sad, depressing scenes.

A convention used in drama films is present in this part of the sequence. This genre focuses on its narrative and what the plot is about, normally following the life of an individual and their struggles. The narrative of a drama film is about real life situations, therefore, the characters and their surroundings must seem "normal." This convention is used in the sense that Charlie has to deal with the emotions he feels as his friend’s leave, something many people experience, making the film more relatable, encouraging more people to watch it.

A straight cut then leads us onto a mid-shot of Sam sitting down in the car. The camera shake is less noticeable, suggesting that she is saddened by this situation but not to the same degree that Charlie is. The more apparent camera shake reappears when a straight cut takes us to a close up of Charlie, standing in the drive way. Again, this reinforces the idea that he is distraught at the events and is becoming more unstable as he realises he is about to lose his friends.

To illustrate further how heartbroken and bewildered Charlie feels, a flashback shows a scene that was played earlier in the film. In the shot, Charlie and Sam are kissing and as he pulls away, he looks dazed. The straight cut to an over the shoulder shot reveals Sam's response, showing me she is concerned for Charlie and that she knows he is extremely uncomfortable but doesn't understand why. The low-key lighting darkens the location behind Charlie, representing his dark past which is revealed later in the film. Charlie hasn't yet told Sam about his past, hence the reason why the environment behind her was brighter.

Another straight cut is used to bring the film back to the present day where the final goodbyes are said. An extreme long shot allows us to see the car drive off, leaving behind a heavyhearted Charlie. A straight cut reveals another flashback, except this is a scene we have never seen before. An extreme close up of a hand rubs up against someone’s body, the camera tilting up slowly to reveal the hand belongs to Charlie's aunt. Another straight cut takes us back to Charlie in the present day, looking discontent. It is quite a long take with no dialogue to highlight the expression on Charlie's face. I feel this was included in the film to show how Charlie is slowly coming to terms with what his aunt done.

An extreme long shot shows a long road, Charlie coming into shot on the horizon. At this point, he seems small and isolated as he walks alone. The quick transition from present day to Charlie's younger years is shown by using a straight cut. The line "It'll be our little secret, okay?" and the shot of a younger Charlie, nodding to confirm whatever they were discussing is kept confidential. This reveals that their secret is the reason why he is suffering in the present day. Many snappy straight cuts then separate the past from the present, making the sequence seem choppy, showing how unorganised and messed up Charlie feels in his own head. Additionally, a split screen is used to show Charlie in multiple positions walking up the road. The two Charlie’s that walk behind the main one at the front may represent how his dark past is coming back to haunt him and it is always a burden, following him around.

When Charlie enters his house, there is a long shot using a canted angle, showing how distraught and mad Charlie is becoming. With the diegetic sound of the door closing, a straight cut leads to a flash back of Charlie's aunt dying in the car crash. The colour of the truck speeding towards the car is red, a colour that has connotations of blood, death and danger. The high key lighting caused by the bright headlights of the truck can represent "going towards the light" a saying which is associated with death, in this case, the passing of Charlie’s aunt. This gruesome, sad scene is then followed by multiple, short, shots of family photos in Charlie's house, separated by straight cuts. This is a juxtaposition of the previous scene, the first shot showing death is then contrasted by showing the happy childhood memories.

Another straight cut goes back to the canted angle shot where Charlie proceeds to bash his head against the door. The childhood photos return, this time, shown in an extreme close up. I feel this is done to show how Charlie, as he grew, lost his innocence as the next shot is another flashback to when the police came and told Charlie’s family his aunt had died. The sad non-diegetic music continues, making the sequence more emotional. Above all the noise, we start to hear Charlie chant, “It’s all my fault”, referring to the death of his aunt. This makes me feel sad because his aunt acted like the victim and made him feel guilty, even though he had done nothing wrong.

A straight cut then shows a long hallway. This shot uses low key lighting as the start of the hallway is lit dimly and the end is in complete darkness. Two jump cuts are then used to speed up how fast Charlie walks down the hallway. I feel this was an important sequence to include because it may represent Charlie looking back on the dark times in his life, the jump cuts showing how fast he is spiralling down into depression. A straight cut then shows a long shot of Charlie with his back to the camera, sitting at his desk. Again there is low key lighting, representing the dark thoughts he is reliving through a series of flashbacks.

A particular flashback stands out amongst the rest. Charlie relives a fight from earlier on in the film. When Charlie is about to punch the other character, there is a close up of his face and the whole shot is out of focus. This shows his aggressive outburst was a blur and that he didn’t realise what he was doing at the time because he was blinded by his anger. Yet, before he is about to swing, a straight cut flashes an image of his Aunts face for a split second, zooming in dramatically. Another straight cut then takes us back to the fight scene, the other character involved recoiling from the punch. The importance of this is to show how Charlie is beginning to realise the vile things his aunt done to him as a child. This is again a convention of a drama film as it is dealing with a real life situation. The main character was sexually abused as a child, something no one should ever go through yet unfortunately it happens each and every day. The journey that also led him to this climax is also a convention of this genre of film as Charlie’s character developed and went through a series of high and low moments until he reached this pinnacle moment.

                                       

The flashbacks and flashes forwards to the present day increase in number but the length of the shots decrease. The reason behind this is to show how conflicted Charlie is feeling. He is starting get his head around the fact that his aunt abused him but he is finding it difficult to come to terms with it. Next, a slow zoom into an extreme close up of the back of Charlie’s head is shown. It makes me feel like I am trying to put myself into Charlie’s body to try and empathise with him and understand how he is feeling in this situation. This creates sadness as I am not able to imagine how tough it must be for Charlie to realise what he had been through.

Towards the end of the scene, straight cuts are used to show several shots of Charlie’s house. The rooms are empty and therefore show how Charlie is feeling isolated and alone. This makes me feel sad for Charlie as no one is there for him in his time of need. This feeling of loneliness is reinforced as Charlie wanders into his kitchen, remembering (through the use of flashbacks) what he saw as a child, his aunt in a distressed state with self-harm scars on her wrist. A straight cut leads us back to Charlie, standing in his kitchen, the camera panning from left to right and tilting down slowly to reveal a knife on a chopping board beside Charlie. For me, this sequence is extremely upsetting as it ends on a slight cliff hanger, leaving me wonder whether or not Charlie went through with self-harming as a way of releasing his bottled up anger.

The Shining analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9rdOAD8Vn8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNaddvSPWj0

The scene opens with a mid-shot of Jack being dragged across the floor as the camera tracks from right to left. A straight cut is used to then show a long shot of Wendy dragging Jack whilst the camera tracks forwards. The mise-en-scene of the knives on the wall and the sign showing the chef’s office allowed me to infer that she was taking Jack to the pantry as it was shown previously in the film and as it was locked so it ensures Jack won’t escape. This made me feel more confident that both Wendy and Danny would be safer. The knives on the wall could be used as weapons and therefore is a convention of a typical horror movie.
A straight cut shows Wendy at a low angle, showing that although she was the victim, she is now dominant over Jack and she is in control of the situation. However, another straight cut reveals a close up of her face. The performance of Shelly Duvall and the fact a close up is used shows the panic as she is unable to open the door. The short takes show her panic and an eye line match is used to show that she is glancing at Jack, making sure he doesn’t become conscious. Another close up of the door’s bolt and Wendy unlocking the door makes me feel more at ease as now I feel more certain that she will be able to keep herself safe with Jack locked away.
Once Jack is safely inside the pantry, my suspicions are confirmed as Wendy grabs the knife as a means of protection. A low angle of Jack is then used, allowing him to loom over the camera and show his dominance and that he is becoming more mentally unstable. The introduction of the high pitched non-diegetic music creates suspense and tension as it builds up, whilst Jack tries to emotionally blackmail his wife. This film is classed as a psychological horror as the horrors are supposedly inside Jack’s head and it is visible in this scene as his personality alters drastically. This can show that Jack is losing his true identity and in place he is becoming slowly psychotic. The loss of identity is also another convention of horror films.
Jack then reveals how he has stopped the radio and snow cat from working, putting Wendy in a vulnerable position. She is isolated, stuck in a hotel in the middle of nowhere with no escape with a person who is going to potentially kill herself and her son. Jack’s performance and how he altered his identities made me feel weary of Wendy’s and Danny’s survival, making me fear for their lives.

At the beginning of the scene, an extreme long shot of the hotel establishes their location. It is at the point within the film where the family is confined the hotel and its grounds due to the extreme weather conditions. The mise-en-scene of the snow covering the location reminds the audience of their predicament which is that Jack is slowly going insane and his wife is trying her hardest to protect herself and her son. The extreme long shot shows the hotel as being tiny compared to its surroundings, introducing the first convention which is typical of the horror genera, isolation. Another convention also present at this time is fog which can conceal things and make the location seem eerie.
A straight cut leads us to the next shot, a mid-shot of jack wearing a red coat which has connotation of blood and death. The mise-en-scene of his clothing may foreshadow events such as him spilling the blood of someone else or even him dying later on in the film. Jack lies in the pantry as the camera zooms out slowly. As more of the scene is revealed, we get to see more bags and boxes that contain the colour red, again linking with the connotations of that colour.
A knocking sound is then heard and we know it is diegetic as Jack reacts to the sound, opening his eyes and sitting up to respond to the noise. We then discover the person is Grady and as he announces he is there, I noticed his voice is an echo. Echoes can be considered as a convention to the horror genera as echoes are often heard in huge, empty places. For an echo to be heard in the hotel it suggests it is empty, bringing back the feeling of isolation.
As the camera begins to pan left slightly, green tins start to come into the shot. There is a theory surrounding the film which suggests ‘The Shining’ is based on the killings of the Native Americans as the Americans took over the land. The common colours often worn by Jack and Danny are red, white and blue, the colours of the American flag and there is context at the start of the film when the family are told the hotel is built on an Indian burial point. The introduction of the green tins to the predominant colours (red, white and blue) has connotations of sickness and by using those in the mise-en-scene in this particular shot it can portray the message that the death of the Native Americans was a disgusting act. Once Jack stands, the camera tracks from right to left, following his movements to the door and it also reveals an abundance of green coloured objects, reinforcing the idea of the sickness rooted deep within the American history.
A straight cut to a mid-shot of Jack shows him side on as he slouches over the door. As he straightens out his body, the camera pans from right to left, revealing a stack of tins with an image of a person wearing an Indian headdress. Above those tins are more green tins, reinforcing the previous point of the film representing the sick killing of the Native Americans.

Cold mountain - Group analysis

At the beginning of the sequence, there is an establishing shot with the camera tracking from left to right. It is an extreme long shot of a man trekking through the snow to show the mise-en-scene, the vastness of the landscape compared to the small, seemingly insignificant man. The music is non-diegetic and is peaceful, implying that the surroundings have not been disturbed and it allows us to rule out this film being a thriller or horror as this is not a convention of those genres.

There is then a straight cut to a long shot, focusing on the male character. The camera zooms towards the man, highlighting that he is an important character within this part of the film. Additionally to this, the camera also pans upwards, revealing the distant mountains that represent the distance between the character and his girlfriend. The character sits down, changing the levels and showing he is weak, tired and inferior.

Another straight cut to a mid shot shows both the man’s expression and clothing. His expression is sad and tired, adding to the mise-en-scene along with his black clothes, linking to the idea that he is impure and depressed.

Parallel editing occurs, taking us from the man in the snow to a woman at home. The camera zooms in on the woman’s face very slowly as though I am trying to get into her thoughts and see how she feels. However, this may also show time passing as she is distant from her lover. The use of low-key lighting is a huge contrast to the high-key lighting previously used when we were focusing on the man in the snow. The difference in lighting coupled with the narration of the letter suggests the female has lost hope and is feeling negative compared to the male who is physically looking up and has a positive outlook.

The mise-en-scene of this shot depicts several candles, foreshadowing a glimmer of hope for the relationship as candles can provide comfort and warmth in dark times. Also, the staining on her hands makes me feel that her dark feelings are permanent just like ink, something that cannot be easily washed away. The camera proceeds to stay static as we watch the tear roll down her face emphasising her sadness.

The next shot uses a straight cut to a close up of a fire which instantly represents both passion and danger, leading me to feel that the male is determined to get to his girlfriend, no matter what the consequences are. The camera then tilts upwards whilst panning from right to left to reveal a man at the fire. Another straight cut to an over the shoulder shot allows us to see another man walk into the shot, this shows that he is not alone on his journey.

The low-key lighting used within this scene shows that the men are concealing themselves and that they don’t want to be found, suggesting they are wanted fugitives. The next shot uses a low angle to show the men lying down which suggests that other, superior people are hunting them and they are trying to stay low as they have a target on their back. Another straight cut leads us to witnessing a man sitting up coughing. The camera pans to the  human meat which shows how the males are living barbarically and are doing everything possible to survive, even when it is ethically wrong.

An eye line shot is then shown of a man peering up over a log with the diegetic sound of a horse. This shows us something has captured his attention and he remains in the low-key lighting, concealing himself. This makes me feel he is suspicious of the other men who have showed up and foreshadows arguments and fights at a later time.

The diegetic sound of the violin playing is introduced to ease the situation before it gets out of hand, showing us the men need to be calmed down before they do something reckless. This again reinforces the idea that there is tension between the characters and foreshadows fights. The straight cuts, matching on action, shows the conflict between the men who are singing and trying to keep the peace and the blond male who sits alone. The low key lighting surrounding the lone man suggests he is someone to be watched and has an evil character which could bring trouble.

The eye line match following the man who stands up gives me the impression that the characters are wary of each other and there is a lack of trust. The next mid shot of the characters uses a soft focus to highlight that the man standing up is the most important in this situation and is about to take control of the situation. This is then followed by a close up of the side of his face which shows his worried emotions and this gives me the idea that he is aware of something which the others are not.

Parallel editing is again used in this scene, showing the actions of the men gathered around the fire as well as the young man hiding behind the log. This emphasises the distance between these characters and that along the way, they have lost a connection and have parted, losing trust.

Further on in the scene, the blond man stands as the camera pans up to follow him. As he is standing higher than all of the others, it implies he is more superior and powerful. We then witness the scene from the point of view of the hiding man. We get to see and hear everything he witnesses at a safe distance which shows he is still worried about being in that situation.

Analysis of 'Divergent'

***Divergent train scene***(0:00-1:02)

When the scene opens, the mise-en-scene and the use of diegetic sound helps the viewer understand the setting. There are people standing in what looks like to be carriages and you can hear a train running on tracks and so people establish that the characters are on a train. At this point, the viewers don’t know where the train is going but this all changes when the camera focuses its mid-shot on the lady telling them to ‘get ready’. The camera is hand held and unsteady so it gives you the point of view of someone on the carriage, immersing the viewer into the film. There is a cut to a mid-shot of two girls and still, the camera is moving slightly, giving the viewers the feeling they are on the train. There is another cut to a mid-shot, tracking forwards to an over the shoulder shot which then pans from left to right, tilts down, pans from right to left and then tilts up again. The importance of this sequence of events is to again establish the setting. As the camera pans and tilts, the viewers see a high angle shot of what is below the people on the train. It exaggerates the drop below them and foreshadows what may happen next. Once the camera stops tilting back up, it remains an over the shoulder shot for a few seconds before in the background of the shot, you see a figure jumping out of the train and onto the building next to them. This was foreshadowed earlier when the female character told them to get ready and when you saw the drop. The camera cuts to a long shot of people jumping out of the train, panning slightly to follow the action of one man landing on the building. The importance of this shot is to show the distance they are jumping of the decent below them and fill the audience with tension about what might happen about the main characters. Whilst the men jump, non-diegetic sound begins playing to increase the amount of tension further. On the next cut, we are taken back to the main girl. We can assume she is the main character as the lighting is subtlety lighter on her than the girl to the left of her and the two males behind her. The camera pans from right to left slightly to bring the other girl into the shot and it continues to pan until we get an over the shoulder shot. This brings into view the people jumping off the train once again. Next, we are shown two males conversing. The character on the right is surrounded by shadows whilst the character on the left is surrounded by light. This conveys the feeling that the character on the right might be at conflict with himself. He doesn’t want to jump, but he also doesn’t want to face the consequences of not jumping. Another long shot is then added of more people jumping off the train. The camera follows one man in particular, tilting down to show his hard impact with the gravel below him. This shot was added to show the danger the characters are putting themselves through to fit in with the group. The next part also shows the extreme danger as the camera pans from left to right and tilts down slightly, focusing on a man who in the next shot, is hanging off the side of the building. The low angle reminds the viewer’s how daunting the drop is and that one small move could mean life or death for the characters. This is again building tension and suspense, leading them to question if the main girl will make the jump. The next cut shows more people jumping off the train yet this time, the mid-shot is at a slightly low angle tilting up the tiniest bit. This gives the viewers the impression the people jumping are strong and brave as they are portrayed as being dominant people. You get to watch their landing on the building as the camera tracks forward alongside the train and pans from left to right. The viewers also witness the male who was previously conflicted jump as well as another male as the camera sits stationary inside the carriage. It may have shown the other man jump as he may later become an important character. As the girls are about to jump, the camera cuts to a low-angle, showing how brave they are being as they overcome their fear of jumping. Before jumping though, the camera cuts to a crane shot, tracking from the right to the left. This shows the setting once more, reminding the viewer of the great jump they are about to do and that one wrong move could end it all. Once they had counted down from three, the girls begin to run off the train and the camera which is now inside the carriage pans from left to right, following them out of the train. A bird’s eye angle is then used, looking down on the girls as they take the leap. The leap is also in slow motion and all of these features together, along with their diegetic scream shows how terrifying it is to be in their position, jumping over a vast drop. Before landing, the camera quickly cuts to a low angle of the girls as they make it over the drop. It again reminds the viewers of the distance they have to jump and it also make the characters look strong and powerful.

How the horror genera effects the audience

The main purpose of horror films is to frighten and terrify the audiences; this can be through the use of the soundtrack playing along with the film or the violent scenes on the screen. A number of films like to twist with people’s minds whilst other films repulse the viewers.
A thing most films have in common is the use of dim-lighting instead of fully lit settings. The lack of lighting plays on the fact that a fear of the dark and what may hide in it is common amongst the population. People may be weary of the dark from a young age as children associate the dark with monsters and ghouls and the use of the dark in horror films causes people to relive the frightened feelings they link to the darkness.
Many films use gore to make the audiences squirm, for example, the ‘saw’ films show numerous devices and horror contraptions brutally murdering the innocent. Another example is the ‘wrong turn’ films as the blood and mutilated body parts cause the audiences to cringe and look away in disgust. The scenes that are shown in both of these films repulse the audience but the methods used to kill the characters and the sick/weird nature of it all is intriguing and sometimes entertaining as the audiences may realise how unrealistic it all is.
The ‘paranormal activity’ series likes to make the audiences feel uneasy in surroundings where they should feel comfortable. The fact the films are set in places like family homes causes the audiences to think irrationally. People become paranoid when their houses (places where they should be familiar with and feel safe) make creaking noises or when they are home alone. Their minds always flick back to the time they watched the film and link the situation they are in, whether it’s a creaky floor board or a door opening on its own, to the film and play through possible horrifying scenes in their head which they believe might come true.
Common fears are also used throughout films to cause more horror and panic within the audience. The main characters have to battle against the evil axe murderers or the sick and twisted doll like in ‘Chucky’. To scare people, films often use people’s fears and phobias to their advantage. Clowns are a popular fear to many people and when shown in films like ‘it’ where the clown murders people, those with the phobia become more nervous and unsettled.
Finally, the soundtrack to a film can play an important part when it comes to scaring the audience. The soundtrack to ‘jaws’ is extremely popular due to the suspense it creates as the shark is just about to attack. The build-up leads the audience wondering when the shark is about to attack and when the time finally comes, the soundtrack accompanying the scene plays dramatically with an increased tempo and dynamics.
Personally, there are many key things in horror films which scare and frighten me, most of them listed above, yet, something I didn't mention before was jump scares within films. There is nothing more unsettling and nerve-wracking than watching a horror film where all seems perfectly fine one second and then the next second, the killer or other evil being is popping out into the shot wielding an offensive weapon. The jump scares can be so sudden and unpredictable that you are left with sweaty palms and a fast beating heart and so to compensate, you have to repeat to yourself how the films are all make believe and is the product of someone else’s imagination.