Audience Feedback for My Animatic.

After looking at everyones animatic, we now have feedback, initial comments and targets for each of our animatics.
The positive comments i got back from my animatic consist of the following:
- Most people like the music which i decided to choose as they said it suited the genre i am doing.
- The varied shots and the particular use of the long shot at the end is effective.
- They said they thought the Story line was explained well and was just enough to leave you in suspense.

The main targets i got back from my animatic are listed below:
- The use of either adding more titles or spreading them out a bit more.
- The music could fade out at the end

After taking the following targets under consideration, i could possibly add more titles in to my animatic as the feedback i received suggests i should do so. As well as this, it might be beneficial to fade the music out at the end in order to create a more tense effect. 
Another possible target i could give myself, could be to include some different sound effects such as the phone ringing and the cry which Sophie hears, this could add to the effect and whilst watching my animatic, you could relate to it easier. This was not something which was mentioned through my audience feedback, i however feel this could be benefical.

Below is my animatic:

Storyboarding.

I have just finished my storyboard and am now starting my animatic. I have found it fairly hard to put all my ideas down into the right shots which i feel will create the right effect, although i am quite happy with my final outcome and feel that the shots i have chosen should work well together. I need to make sure my opening sequence creates tension and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. I have tried my best to make my ideas as realistic as possible.

All in all i have 48 shots. I wasen't sure how i was going to end my opening sequence as i didn't know whether to give it a more significant ending, or let it just end casually after the two mintues, i tried my best for it not to seem like a trailer! I have decided the end of my opening sequence to be Sophie walking out the house and the door closing behide her, i don't feel that this will make it too much like a tralier. I am hoping this will simply let the audience realise there is something not right and something could be in the house, making them want to watch more and creating enigma codes.

I am going to use a range of shots to create varied effects, such as extreme close ups, close ups and long shots, these all being conventional for horror.

Props and Costumes.

The props and costumes which are shown within my opening sequence are extremely important as they set the scene and allow the audience know to know the social class of the characters.

Props

The props within my opening sequence consist of the following:
- Telephone

- Laptop

- Makeup wipe

The use of the telephone is very conventional throughout horror films, it adds to the effect of suspense and creates extreme tension. In this case, it shows the audience that Sophie is extremely worried and upset when she realises her mum could be in danger.

The laptop is used simply to show that Sophie is unaware anything bad is going to occur. She is happy in her room talking to her friends through her laptop.

A make up wipe is used for Sophie to take her makeup off! like the laptop, this has no real meaning to it, just to portray that Sophie intends this evening to be just like every other night.

Costume

I only have one character who is introduced within my opening sequence, this being Brogan who is known as Sophie. Sophie is portrayed as a normal, down to earth, everyday school girl, therefore the clothes which she wears needs to be kept simple and to the point, this will then convey that what is happening to Sophie can happen to anyone! aswell as making it seem realistic.  I think Brogan will be wearing either leggins or black jeans, with a simple plain top.

Questionnaire Analysis.

As i have briefly mentioned previously i have asked 15, 15-35 year olds to answer my questionnaires, 10 of them being male, making 5 of them female. I did this on purpose as my adiuence is mainly targeted towards men. Below i will be analylising my results to the most significant questions out of all 10.

Question 1
The first question being "what do you expect from a typical horror storyline?" gave me the same answers throughout, everyone stated they expect to see a murder and there will be a typical victom.

Question 2
My second question is "what type of music would you expect to hear in the opening sequence?" the feedback i got back from my answered questionaires were either slow, creepy, eerie or tense/creating suspence. None of the answers were upbeat and fast or classical, which were my other options. This means that i will have to make sure the music which i include within my opening sequences is slow, which will then create suspence, whilist keeping it creepy to satisfy my audience.

Question 3
"would you say it is more important to see the location of the film within the opening sequence or the main character?"
the majority said they would prefer to see the location of the film rather than the main character, this being 7 out of 15, i had planned to have an establising shot of the house before the opening sequence offically gets going, this would obviously be a good idea as the adiuence would like to see the location so it can set the scene. 6 people said both of them are equally as important as one another, this shows that the main character does also need to be a significant part of my opening sequence, this is also good as my opening sequence will be based around my main character.

Question 4
"what do you expect the main character to be like out of the following..?"
- Young teenage girl
- Young Mother
- Older women
- Young teenage boy
- Middle aged man
- Older man
- Other
Out of the options, the only two which my particpants selected were young teenage girl and an older women, below is a graph which shows this:

As you can see on the graph, 13 people said they would expect the main character to be a young teenage girl, and only two said they would expect the it to be an older women. Out of all of the options i listed, my target audience feel these two are the most relevent, both of these options are of the same gender aswell. This is a positive answer, as my main character is a young teenage girl, therefore i know i will be showing my audience exactly what they want too see.



Question 6
"How would you expect the titles to show up?"
- In between different shots (appearing on a black background)
- Over the top of shots, fading in and out

As you can see on the graph, 11 people out of the 15 whom answered my questionnaires stated that they would expect the titles to appear in between different shots on a black background, leaving only 4 people to say they prefered the titles to appear over the top of shots.

Therefore, this means when i start editing my opening sequence, i need to make my titles appear on a black background in between various shots.



Question 7
"Where would you prefere the location to be within the opening sequence?"
- In a house
- In the woods
- In a car park
- Other
The only two options which were chosen are in a house and in the woods, below is a graph which shows this:

As you can see, 11 people said they would prefere the location to be within a house in the opening sequence, only 4 people said they would like it to be in a woods, and these were the only options listed. Therefore, this shows us that i should have my opening sequence located within a house, this was my orignal plan so luckily i can stick to this.





Question 9
"For the opening sequence, would you like to know the main plot striaght away or to be left wondering what is going on?"

As shown on the graph, everyone who answered my questionnaires said they prefere to be left wondering what is going on rather than knowing the plot instantly within the opening sequence, this means that i need to make sure my opening sequence doesn't reveal too much. Most people said they like to be left in suspence, they think it makes it more intresting, it keeps it more of a mystery! as well as creating enigma codes. My ideas for my opening sequence should enable a cliff hanging start, therefore my opening sequence should be of what my target audience want to see.

Question 10
"What do you find most interesting about horror films?"
The answer for this question is extremely repetative, everyone said they loved the following:
- The thrill of it
- The tension it creates
- The twist it has
- Feeling of suspence
- Creating a sence of fear
- Unknowing of what will occur
This shows that for my opening sequence, i need to make sure the audience get a sence of fear and the feeling of suspence, i will do this by having the phoncall between the mother and Sophie which will put the audience on the edge of their seats, the uncertaincy of what is going to happen is also important, the fact that my opening sequence will end when Sophie is out looking for both her mother and brother or when she finds her mothers car, will leave the audience not knowing what will happen next. The fact that Sophie is very close to her mother and brother, makes the audience feel sympathy towards her as she doesn't know where either of them are.

Conventions of Horror.

Most horror films end up sharing similar if not the same conventions, although this may make the genre fairly repetative, it also adds to the scaryness of it all, and keeps you in suspence as although the conventions are similar, the plot is most definantly different.

Sound
- The music is expected to be scary, slow and very tense.
- Diegetic sounds such as the televison on very quite, or the use of the phone ringing is a typical convention. For example, in Scream and The Ring both of these conventions are used.
- If music or the use of props are not used, sounds such as children singing can be seen as disturbing and can put you on edge, this is shown in Stephen Kings It, for example.

Titles
Inter-lay titles, such as having white writing on a black background is extremely popular in horror films, as it stands out and adds to the effect, having either the writing or background red is also a typical convention- red portraying the colour of death or blood. If none of these conventions are used, usually something will be shown such as pictures like in Stephen Kings It, which relate to the film from past events or characters. The titles are also completed fairly quickly, to concentrate on the real meaning of the film.

Locations and Lighting
The typical location of a horror film being a big house out in the middle of no-where, there is normally one person left within the house to create a more tense effect, if the location is not within a house in the middle of no-where, it would be outside in the middle of no-where! for instance in the middle of a woods. The use of these locations allows anything to happen, if you are alone with not many people around you then the killer can get away with anything, if you are in a big house there are many rooms and areas the event can take place, and the same for being in the woods.
The lighting which is used is very dark, usually the most scary scenes will be filmed in the night time, natural light is not normally used. This is the case due to the fact that the killer will not be seen in darkness, making it much more scary for us!

Main character

The main character in a typical horror film would be a young, dumb, blonde female. She would be portrayed as innocent and defenceless, therefore this makes her an easy target for the killer! it also makes us feel sympathy towards her, which is the intention. If the main character was a big man it would be less shocking and far more boring. A perfect example of this is Scream.

Camera Shots

Obviously many different camera angels and shots are used in all horror films. However, the most significant shots which are used are establishing shots and close ups, these show the audience the location and the importance of it, aswell as showing the emotion the character is experiencing.

Props

Props are extremely important in horror films, as they more often than not they foreshaddow future events, the main prop which is used in most horror films is the use of the phone ringing, it keeps the audience in suspence as you are unaware who is on the other line and almost expect it to be someone bad, a good example of this is Scream. 

Enigma codes

There are many enigma codes which are raised for horror films, usually at the beginning of the film throughout the opening sequence. This creates servere suspence for the audience as it makes them want to watch more and find out what is happening, it keeps you on edge and awake!

I came up with these conventions due to the three horror films which i analylised. I thought about what was the usual occurance within the opening sequences, and then i looked at horror films in general.

Character Profile.

As i am only having one character within my opening sequence, and this character being a young teenage helpless girl, i decided on my friend Brogan Jordan. She is the right age and eventhough she hasen't had much acting expereince, i think that she will be able to portray an inocent teenage girl. In most cases, the ideal hair colour for a girl victom within a horror film is blonde, but in this case, Brogan has dark brown hair, although this isn't a typical horror convetion, i think she still fit's in fine with the type of character i wish to portray as it shows any young teenage girl can be in danger, i think Brogan has many other atributes to fit the character known as Sophie.

Brogan will be playing the role of Sophie who is a 16 year old girl, as Brogan is 16 herself, this will make her feel more comfortable as she can almost be herself. Sophie is very popular at school and has many friends, although this isn't obvious in the opening sequence, the fact that she is talking to her friends on her laptop demonstrates this to a minimum. Sophie is from a middle class background and as shown has a well presented house, she has a close relationship with both her Mother and Brother and spends most of her free time either with them or with her close group of friends. Sophie's parents are not together anymore, and she rarely spends time with her Dad, this is the main reason why Sophie and her Mum are so close, as they keep strong for one another. Sophies parents are not particually on talking terms, due to many problems they had, her dad wasen't the nicest to her mother. So Sophie feels like her and her brother (Luke) should be there for her as she has done alot for them both over the years. You will soon become aware that Sophie cares for her mother alot when she finds out she is in distress. Sophie has big dreams, she is currently in her last year at school and hopes to go to sixth from, she wants to become a writer when she is older. Overall, Sophie lives a fulfilled happy lifstyle with many friends and close family. She looks forward to her future and hopes to become very successful.

Analysis of Opening Sequence to A Room For Romeo Brass.

Title: A Room For Romeo Brass
Genre: Social Realism
Director: Shane Meadows

Narrative Context:
Like the other two social realism films, not many significnant detials are revealed in the opening sequence. However, you are soon introduced to the two main characters, two little boys who come across as good friends, one being more dominant than the other, you distingish this by the events which the boys are involved in throughout the opening sequence, such as getting his fish and chips!

Enigma codes:
Some of the enigma codes which are raised from the opening sequence are:
- Why do they both happen to be in the middle of a field?
- Why did Romeo eat more chips if he knew he would get in trouble because of it?!
- Why did Romeo not get any for his friend?
- Why does Romeo and his friend always bicker?!

How Characters are Established and Represented
The two main characters being both the little boys are introduced striaght away, one of the boys acts more "in charge" and seems a stronger character, from this impression you think that maybe he might be the main character. You soon become aware what social class they are, but nothing else about them is noted. Once we are introudced to Romeo's family we soon become aware he doesn't have a father figure around, this being a typical convention of a social realism film, only having one parent. The other boys family is then introduced, we can see that he does have a father figure and his family seem more calm tempered to start with than Romeo's.

 Location and mise-en-scene     
A few of the locations which we are introudced to in the opening sequence consist of:
- A field
- The local shops
- The chip shop
- Their houses
Unlike horror films, social realism films show a number of locations to paint more of a picture for the audience. The location also tells us their social class and the era which they are in, just like the other two opening sequences, the location looks fairly run down. The props and costumes of the characters also gives us an insight of the type of people who they are, from this it looks like they are from a working class background. It is all in day time so the use of natural light is used throughout.  

Editing Techniques, Camera Techniques and their Effects
Most of the cuts are quick and sharp changing from scene to scene. The use of continuity editing illistrates the varied editing techniques, this also shows the use of natural light. The 180 degree rule is used to orient the viewer in the scene, it also creates a sence of geography.  In this case, the rule is used to show the expression of the boys and the chip shop owner, so the aduience can view all of the characters from each others point of view.

The use of close ups and establising shots seem fairly popular in socal relaist films, due to the fact it shows the expression and emotion the character is feeling, and sets the scene and the location, these type of shots are used throughout in this opening sequence. The use of moving subject walks into space, and generally the camera following each character also shows you who the main characters are, as they more often than not have far more camera time.                   

The use of the low angel shot when Romeo is looking down to his friend from outside demonstrates the status both of them have, it almost tells you that Romeo has more power over his friend and comes across more confident and in control within their friendship.

Sound (diegetic/non-diegetic)
As soon as the opening sequence begins we hear a diegetic sound of the brids singing, this tells the audience without anything else the location and situation the boys are in. The dialogue between both the boys occurs striaght away with no music to begin with, it makes it lighthearted and fun due to their conversation! Once we have been introduced to both of the characters, the non-diegetic music begins which is music of that era, this is a typical convention as it expresses the interest of the present. The music is generally upbeat and puts you in a content mood, it sets the scene on the whole. When the dialogue between characters begins the music is still playing in the background, it then fades but once the dialogue is over it soon becomes louder again. The music on the whole puts you in a happy mood as i said, therefore makes you think something good will occur. However, when the music stops it makes the mood far more serious which is setting the scene for when his mum gets angry at him, this being the reason for the music to change to a more placid and sad tone, you instantly feel sympathy for Romeo due to the selected music, eventhough we know Romeo is in the wrong, you can't help but feel sorry for him as the music portrays this. This demonstrates that the music plays a massive effect on the characters and the way in which we feel towards them.

Titles
Within this opening sequence, the titles go on for a very long time, to be precise, 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Preety much all of the opening sequence to the different films, the font is white on a black background. This will then grab the audience's attention as it stands out to you, the use of fading of the titles create a good effect. Each title more often than not appears in various ways, for less significant actors the title "introducing" is kept on the black background with the names of the actors which fade in and out. The title of the film doesn't come in until about half way through the opening sequence which again is a typical convention of a social realist film. The titles appear in white font on a black background and are shown in between different shots, and various scenes.

Below is the opening sequence: 

                          

Analysis of Opening Sequence to Kidulthood.

Title: Kidulthood
Genre: Socail Realism
Director: Menhaj Huda

Narrative Context:

Similar to Bullet Boy, so far not much is revealed. You soon become aware however, of the more dominant characters over the less signifcant characters, certain things are occuring before school is starting, what looks like victoms of bullying are shown, and cuts back and forth of a young teenage boy making a gun. The issue of violence which is shown between the two girls beating one of the girls up, and the other boys causing trouble with another group of boys is presented as a major problem.

Engima codes:
The engima codes which are raised consist of the following:

- What is the boy actually making with the machines? (it soon becomes obvious it is a gun, but you cannot be too sure) and why is he making it?

- Why did she beat the girl up?

- Why does the girl who is getting beaten up recieve no help?
- Why are the boys who are not in uniform causing trouble?
- Why is the boy who is not in uniform looking for claire?

How characters are Established and Represented:

The main characters are preety much introduced straight away. The appearance of the main characters gives us an idea of who is seen as "popular" and who is looked down on, the girls have their ties loose and short and are wearing gold hoop earings, this instantly paints a picture for the audience as these girls are seen as "chavs". The way in which they talk comes across as qutie common, and it soon becomes obvious they are from the city. Both of the girls seem happy with the way they are and are shown as fairly confident, this in itself illistrates the status they must have.

The boys who are not in uniform but on the school site are then shown, the fact that they are not actually at school and are seen wearing what they want, shows us that others view them as higher than themselves and portray them as tough.

The use of dialogue helps the adiuence understand the status of these boys, as they talk down to almost everyone. The fact that the next group of girls shown are the innocent victoms, who are conveyed as less "superior" than the rest, and the vicious girl group who states they want to beat the other girl up, shows the difference between them through appearance and dialogue. It soon becomes obvious that repuatation to most of these characters is important, they want to be seen as "cool" and stive to be well liked, this is shown through violence. On the other hand, you have the two girl victoms who don't care about anything but being left alone.

                                     

Location and mise-en-scene

The location within the opening sequence is set in a run down school in a city like run down area, it seems like it is working class,this being a typical convention of a social realist film. The appearance of the characters is how this is shown, also by the use of props- The games console and the phone appears to be a big part in the opening sequence as it conveys how bad the bullying is, especially when the boy uses his phone to take a picture of what he is making the other boys do.

The way the girls have their hair being scraped back and the traicksuits which the boys wear also portrays their class. The lighting seems natural which is also shown in most social realist films.

Editing Techniques, Camera Techniques and their Effects

At the beginning, the use of slow motion and making the camera going in and out of focus demonstrates the reality of the film. It speeds up instantly when new characters are presented through the use of a long shot, and then slows down focusing on certain significant characters, you can then tell these characters are significant as they seem to have alot of camera time.

The use of quick simple cuts give an on edge effect, keeping the audience intrested and assertive. Techniques such as the shot/reverse shot which is used, gives the effect that something is going on between them characters.

There are a few long shots and established shots, to enable the audience to see the type of characters in the opening sequence and the location, therefore putting these both together. The use of close ups, for example on the girls who are beating the other girl up, are used to show true emotion so we can sympahise for the victom, the close ups are also used to create engima codes for the audience. Once the camera moves onto a new set of characters it pan's, this instantly creates a tense atmosphere and makes the audience think something dogey is occuring. Aswell as close ups, extreme close ups are also used to show true emotion and feeling

Also, when the girl is being beaten up, there are point of view shots. This enables the audience to feel like they are in that position, creating a realistic and honest effect. It makes you feel the fear the victom is going through, and the pain the other girls are causing her. The cut of when the bully punches her in the face makes the punch look and sound ten times worse, this again creating sympathy on the character. The use of the high angel shot is perfect in showing the power the bully has over her.

Finally, the cuts of when the boy in no uniform is slapping the over boy, shows on going energy and the power he has over the other character.

Sound (diegetic/non diegetic)

When the opening sequence starts, there is non diegetic music playing in the background making the atmosphere tense, which could possibly foreshaddow future events. Even through the dialogue, the music is carried on to carry on creating this on going effect, but then slowly fades out once we have met all the main characters. As soon as the opening sequence starts, there are diegetic sounds of people in the playground and the machine, this creates the effect that things are already happening, which makes you want to know what is going on striaght away.

Titles

Just like Bullet Boy, the titles are presented through the use of white font on a black background, however, the style of the font for the title isn't boring block writing, it's different and could be portrayed as aggressive and extreme, just like the film. The title suddenly fades into the opening sequence so we understand how realistic and serious it all is striaght away. The sound throughout the titles sounds intimidating, it is almost letting the audience know what they are due to see.

Intended Target Audience

I think this film is mainly aimed at younger people, therefore between 15-25. The reason being that people of this generation can easily relate to a situation like this, such as violence and bullying. Where as, the older generation would most probably find this effensive. I would say it is more aimed at males as they are intrested with the issues raised within this film, working/middle class people would most likely enjoy it.

Below is the opening sequence:

The Pro's and Con's of Social Realism.

Pro's
- Soical realism is far more realistic, it is all around us almost, you can create your story on real life situations.
- The location within Bury St Edmunds would be useful in portraying a socail realism film such as certain estates
- The actors who you choose to take part in your opening sequence, might feel more comfortable than acting in a horror film, as they can be themselves to a certain extent.
- You can experiment with different camera angels and effects to portray different situations

Con's-
- Although the actors you choose might feel comfortable acting in a social realism film, you need to make sure they portray exactly what you need without it seeming unrealistic and silly.
- You need to make sure the events in which you decide to choose such as drug taking or domestic abuse, are presented carefully as you don't want it to come across as effensive to anyone.
-The location could be a problem, you need to make sure if you decide to film in a public area you have permission
-The plot which you choose needs to be suitable, it may be hard to think of the right plot.
- It may be hard to make it not seem to much like a trailer!

Conducting my Questionnaire.

The reason in which i would like to conduct a questionnaire is simply because i want my selected audience to be able to tell me what they prefer out of the options i am giving them, in order for me to make my opening sequence just right. I could go ahead with my initial ideas, but they could possibly not be suitable for my 15-35 year old audience, therefore conductiong a questionaire with various questions including open and closed questions, will benefit me to enable the best ideas that would appeal to my audience.

I would like to find out the following:
- The typical storyline they expect a horror to have
- The type of music they wish to hear
- The importance of the location and the main character
- The titles they expect to see
- If they perfere to know the main plot instantly or to be left wondering
- What they find most intresting about horror films

Types of questions i am including within my questionnaire (open and closed):

Would you say it is more important to see the location of the film within the opening sequence or the main character? please explain your answer..
As you can see, this question is an open question, therefore it leaves the audience to be able to write what they wish, with the use of the line "please explain your answer" enables not only a striaght one word answer, but hopefully the audience will then explain why they think that so i can get a better understanding.

Another question which i will be asking is:
What type of music would you expect to hear in the opening sequence? (please circle your answer, or state what else if it is not listed)
-Slow
-Creepy
-Eerie
-Tense/creating suspence
-Upbeat and fast
-Classical
-Other
This type of question is a closed question, due to the fact there are options therefore there is no more too it. This type of question is benefical as the ideas which i have, will be narrowed down as only a few will be chosen, allowing myself to adapt to the thoughts of my audience.

I have decided to ask 15 15-35 year olds, mainly males but some females aswell, as they are my audience.

Below is my completed questionnaire:

Audience Profile.

As you can see, my horror opening sequence is aimed at both genders, but mainly males. Between the ages of 15-35, therefore mostly aimed at the younger generation. I have decided to aim my film at working/middle class people. The typical interests my target audience enjoy are things such as rock climbing, although this isn't an everyday activity, the thrill and adrenaline you feel from it, would be of somebody who enjoys a horror film. 
My target audience will generally have an active fulfilled lifestyle.
Overall, people in general enjoy horror films, people of all ages and both genders. This is the reason i have included pictures such as the up to date fashion; jeans and shirts, and the curry as well as enjoying music such as example. Even though most people enjoy horror films, the particular people i am aiming at  have made my decisions far more specific. 

Ideas for Coursework- Horror it is.

After alot of thinking i decided producing an opening sequence for a horror film would be better, as i feel it can easily be portrayed within the opening sequence due to the typical horror conventions you can use. My idea is based around a young teenage girl who is alone in her house one evening, well she soon realises she is alone anyway!
She is first shown content and happy as she is on her laptop talking to her friends, she then decides to get ready for bed as it is late, she enters her bathroom and soon hears a wierd noise which sounds like a cry, she looks around but doesn't think much of it, she enters the bathroom again and starts to take off her makeup. The phone rings and once she answers the phone she hears her mum shouting her name as if she is in danger and needs help, Sophie (the girl in the house) beings to worry and goes into her brothers room (Luke) she calls his name and starts speaking to him but there is no reply, she says his name over and over again and then walks into his bathroom, the words "Luke is not here!" is written on the mirror.
At this point, Sophie is extrememly scared and runs downstairs and out of the house, she looks around not knowing what to do. I haven't completely decided on a definate ending but either she will be outside and the door will close behide her, or she will see her mums car and approach it and no-one will be in it, with blood maybe dripping down from the car.
Previous horror films which i have watched in the past influenced me on this idea, although i haven't really got an idea similar to a horror film which i have seen, small ideas such as the phone ringing and typical horror conventions such as a young teenage girl being alone in a house, made me think of my idea. Due to the conventions i have used, this is the reason why i feel it fits into the horror genre.
This idea is not definite, i may alter a few things to make sure it isn't like a tralier in any way and portrays exactly what i want it to. The unexpected is the name which i have come up with, i decided with this name as it portrays the unexpected can happen, as this will be shown in my opening sequence, due to the fact Sophie unexpectingly found out she was alone and her mum is in danger.
The main character who will be in my opening sequence will be my friend Brogan, as she is a young teenage girl who is seen as naive and innocent.

Analysis of Opening Sequence to Bullet Boy.

Title: Bullet Boy
Director: Saul Dibb
Genre: Social Realism

Narrative Context:

So far, not much has been revealed. You soon become aware however, that he has been in prison and is getting out. Also, you soon become aware that the issue within this film is to do with crime. The location is shown almost straight away being set in the inner city of London.  It becomes obvious that the main character is the boy who is being let out of prison, as he has alot of camera time. After this, you also realise he has a little brother who is very eager to see him, as he gets in his friends boot without him noticing! he also has a caring friend who takes the time in picking him up due to his realease.

Engima codes

The engima codes which are raised consist of the followng:
- Why was he in prison?
- How long has he been in prison for?
- When was the last time he saw his brother/friend/mother?

- Does he have a father? as all that is shown so far is his brother and mum.

How Characters are Established and Represented

The main character being the older boy being let out of prison is represented in a way in which he can take care of himself almost, his reaction in seeing his friend and brother is almost like he doesn't need them there, he can cope alone, however is happy to see them. His brother is presented in a way which shows he looks up to his older brother, he wants to please him and be there to see him straight away. His innocence and want to fit in is portrayed instantly. It is soon noticed that him and his friend are fairly close, the way in which they speak to each other shows they are comfortable to say what they like, when they great eachother, you can almost see the fact that they have missed one another, but don't want to show this too much as it wouldn't partically fit in with their reputation! 

Towards the end of the opening sequence, the mother is soon introuduced preparing for her son's return home, she is sorting out food and looks excited to be seeing him.

Location and Mise-en-scene

As i have breifly mentioned, the setting is within London. The part where they live, shows that they don't have lots of money, it isn't neccessarly run down, but it all looks down to earth and a working class area, this portays the amount of crime within the area aswell. The area near their house does look run down and conveys that they are living in a poorer part of London.

The mise-en-scene is the same throughout, the lighting being natural daylight and the props which are used such as the magazines the little boy puts under the bed and everything situated within the house, looks like normal everyday living and very down to earth as i mentioned.

Editing Techniques and their Effects
There are a few quick cuts to show the ongoing energy from one shot to another, for instance when the friend of the boy who is coming out of prison realises his friends brother is in his boot, there is a quick cut to him looking at the boot and then opening it, this creates good on going energy and makes it seem important that he has found him.
As well as this, there are cuts from establishing shots of him looking outside the window of the car back to a close up of his face, this creates a good effect as it shows the emotion and you can almost tell and definatly see how he feels to see what he hasen't seen in a while, it is almost reminding him of the past and the scenary of his hometown.

Camera Techniques
There are many camera techniques which create different effects, such as the use of fading the first shot with the titles coming up at the start, the effect this has is that it wants you to see striaght away what is going on with an insight of the actors in the film, the use of a number of long shots portrays the setting as well as seeing cleary exactly what is going on within that shot.
The zoom in's of his little brother and the close up shots allow you to see the emotion he is feeling, you almost get the impression that he feels left out, his brother doesn't seem that intrested in him as when they drop him off at home, he just says "later" and you can then instantly tell the little boy isn't happy. When him and his brother were talking through the duration of the opening sequence, he seems very happy to be with him and them to be getting on well, it seems to me that he idolises his older brother.

Sounds (diegetic/non- diegetic)
The on going music at the start of the opening sequence is an example of non-diegetic sound which soon quitens down when the dialogue starts, but however is still playing, keeping a real on edge effect. As soon as he has been released, and they have finished speaking, the music then gets louder. Through non-dialogue scenes, there is loud music creating suspence for what will be happening next, but for scenes where they is alot of dialogue the music is kept minimal if at all, to empahsis the converstaions and importance between the characters.
An example of diegetic sound such as the dog barking near the middle of the opening sequence, the noise of the cars and birds singing, shows that there is life around them and other people. It demonstrates the fact that they are in an inner city so therefore around lots of people constantly. Near the end of the opening sequence, when they get into an argument with these other boys, there is no music over the top, this empasises the reality and importance of this scene, there is no need to put the audiences mind's on anything else except the event taking place. When the little boy returns home to his mother at the end, the use of diegetic sound consisting of the reggae music illistrates the type of music they enjoy and the music of the era.

Iconography
The fact that from the start crime seems the problem, the main character just being let out of prison portrays the real issue within this social realist film. The run down location, casual not expensive clothing, small house

and the main fact being almost the first thing you see is him in prison, illistrates the genre of the film instantly. This is shown through the typical conventions of a social realism film.

Titles

The titles which first come up, appear on a black background with white writing. As i have experienced from analylising other horror films, what ever the genre is these two colours seem popular. They both work together to create a good effect, empahsisng the fact that real situations sometimes are black or white (right or wrong). Each title fades out after it has been shown for a few seconds, this portrays a clearer effect. During the titles, the first shot being the little boy in the boot of the car, as the background is still black at this point, you feel sympathy for him instantly, as he looks alone and scared. The little boy then shines a light onto the camera as he has a torch on him as he is in darkness, this then turns the screen from being black to white. This creates an interesting effect as the power of his torch has changed the colour of the screen, this almost shows us that the film is now beginning and gives us an insight of what's going on so far. The name of the film is again black on a white background in block writing, the advantage of block writing in this case is that it is to the point and easy to read, which is so far what this film shows us, easy to follow and to the point. The title then slowly fades out to a shot of him in his cell.

Intended Target Audience

From just watching the opening sequence to this film, i think the intended target audience would be for people who are 15+, as although there hasen't been any extreme violence shown, there is the use of bad langauge. I think it is aimed for both genders, but partically males as they are known to be more intrested in crime and violence than females.

Below is the opening sequence: