Final Review

Audience Feedback : Final Cut

Storyboard

Poster Analysis

Poster Analysis

One Missed Call

One missed called is a supernatural horror. The poster from the film ‘one missed call’ is made from a simple picture with many interpretations. The title is written in red full block capitals which makes it stand out. The fact that it is written in red relates to the genre as it symbolises death, blood and warning.  Death and blood is conventions of a horror which shows that it belongs to that genre. The title ‘one missed call’ is significant because a call is what you get from someone who knows you or knows of you, the fact that the call is ‘missed’ could show that the person is no longer present and how now significant in the characters life. The title also looks as if it fading away which could represent a past or a memory. The connotations that arises when look at the poster is where is it set and who is the person on the front, this engages the target audience as it make them want to find out answers for their questions. The font of the title is an influence that was used in horror films from the 1900s.

The mise-en-scene is the phone which tells you that it is going to play a significant part in the movie. The screaming from the mouth within the eye looks as if it is screaming into phone which shows that the phone is going to alert or symbolise death. The facial expression on the main images is a slight smirk which shows the person is getting pleasure from what they are doing. The eyes of the image is made up of 2 pictures of a woman screaming, this relates to the genre as screaming and loud noises is a convention on horror. The poster shows that the narrative is closed as it doesn’t give you much background information. From the picture you cannot tell the location or the time of day which makes the target audience want to read more.

 The Unique Selling Point of the picture is the face, the eyes of this face is made up from the mouths of a female this reinforces the negative stereotype of females being vulnerable, from this you can tell that the film is going to fall under the horror genre. The face is a pale colour which shows that it is lifeless or an evil spirit which connects to the dead which is also a convention of horror. The use of the mouth forming and eye could represent that this evil creature is watching the females every move.

 The tagline ‘what will you sound like when you die?’ asks the target audience a rhetorical question that they can only answer if they watch the film. This engages them as it makes the want to know who dies in the film and what they sound like.

The colours used is red and black, red could symbolises blood and death with is a convention of horror. Also the red can also show warning. In contrast to red writing, the black background makes the face stand out even more. However, since the face also looks like a human being it could show that the figure was once a person. The black background could represent the unknown and the fear or dark, which is another horror convention.

This film would be targeted at 16-24 year olds as you can see from the colours used.

Textual analysis - One missed call

Textual Analysis

One Missed Call

The film which I am going to analyse is called one missed call, it is a film similar to the one that I will be producing; it was released in 2008 and directed by Eric Valette. The genre of the film which is also the genre of the one I will be making is a Physiological Horror.

Todorov’s equilibrium model is used in ‘one missed call’ the state of normality (equilibrium) starts with a young teenage girl having a phone conversation, the normality becomes broken (disruption) when she gets pulled into the pond and a red ball rises to the surface of the water. The new equilibrium is the victim is saved from the killer and we hear the phone ring again. Similar to the theory of Levi-Strauss, binary oppositions are used in this film this can be seen through the victim and the killer which is good/bad and living/dead.

 The film has a restricted narrative as a lot of information is withheld so you do not know much until the very end. This is similar to ‘the unborn’. Although you don’t know much until the ending the film is in chronological order so you become aware and understand the storyline. By doing this, it gives the audience more time to think how they believe the story will end and more engaged as they would like to know if their ideas were correct or not.

In horror movies there is always a lead character which ends up as the survivor and ends u defeating the killer. The genre of the film is represented through the characters as the majority of the victims are young teenage females this shows the stereotypical representation of females being most vulnerable. Teenagers are seen to be vulnerable due to society of that era thinking adolescences are immature and cannot look after themselves. However, you could say ‘one miss call’ challenges this as not all the characters act irresponsible so they would not necessarily be targeted as vulnerable. The characters speak in an informal way which suggests that they are all from the same social backgrounds. For instance, if they spoke in a formal way, you would then see the contrast between different characters and would be able to see who is more vulnerable. Facial expressions are typical of the genre as they would be quiet frightened when the tension in the story builds up, an example of this from ‘one missed call’ is when the characters hear the diegetic sound of the phone call. This is also similar in paranormal activity when strange things happen in their house their facial expression change. The body language before the second death was normal stability, however, after the second death when the phone rings the body language would be quiet limp and the movements were slowed down to the show the status of the characters due to the fact that the characters are limp shows that they are weaker than the killer. Hair and makeup and costume relate to the representation of age as they are college students their dress sense was similar to one another as it shows they all from the same era and have the same fashion influences. I.e. Females; Jeans, top and shoes or trainers, with minimal make-up and their hair tied up or down. Males; Jean and top with trainers. Costumes are made simple to reduce the risk of the audience’s attention diverting. ‘One missed call’ also challenges the typical characters of the genre as the killer is also a young female teenager. This is seen as absurd as it is normally a male character which targets female character which could link to a sexually fantasy. The killer is typical of the genre as she gives them a date and time of their death; this creates moral panic for the character as they try to find way in which to cheat death. This is similar to final destination as they have premonitions before the death and try and change it or stay alive. The killer’s costume is similar to the other student’s .e.g. black hoodie. This could show that that is what she wants to be and something stopped her which explains her actions. The storyline is typical of the genre as there is always a main plot; they tend to all focus on death. Examples of this is ‘the unborn’, ‘paranormal activity’, ‘insidious’ and ‘psycho’. Similar storylines which is typical of the genre tend to incorporate evil or after life, a form of a demon or phenomenon and the killer always scares and attacks humans.

The mobile phone ringtone is a diegetic audio sequence that the audience recognise when something starts to go wrong; the mobile phone shows when the killer is trying in interfere in the characters lives. Non diegetic eerie music is used to build up tension when the victim approaching an area which is seen as isolate where she then becomes vulnerable. An example of this is when the female character receive the call an approaches the bridge which look as if a possible death could occur, the eerie music is play to build tension. Cinematography is used to highlight significant part in the film to show a variety of things, Facial expression which shows how the characters feeling, long shots to pick up on the killer or victims body language. An example of this is when the phone rings and there is an extreme close up on the phone and another one on the character to show their facial expressions this shows that they were afraid because they knew who was on the other end of the phone. Low key lighting is used to enhance the genre as it allows the character to see less which makes them more vulnerable.

Film Reviews

The Film review which I will be analysing is from the ‘Time Entertainment.’ The Film which is contained in the review is Paranormal Activity 2. The film was reviewed by Mary Pols.
The mode of address used throughout the review is slightly informal due to a number of words that she uses. The film review is targeted at a general audience rather than a niche one. The critic briefly summarises each aspect of the film – directors, narrative actors etc.

Firstly, the critic talks briefly about the narrative in paranormal activity 2. ‘’ I retained almost no memory of its narrative content’’ she then breaks down the narrative from the previous paranormal activity, in informal tone.  As explained above she used the word ‘dope’ which lower in register of the review. As the review progresses she then brakes down the narrative structure of the second film and how the movie opens. 
 The film critic clearly contains the actor’s names in brackets with the characters that they play. She describe (Micah Sloath) as a dope which is a slang/informal discourse.
Pols mentions that the director from the previous film had been replaced by a new director. (Todd Williams) which she goes on to say she had doubts about that change. Later on  in the review she talks about the writer and director from paranormal activity (Oren Peli) she went on to talk about the budget of that film and said ‘it’s the kind of budget you could use to get a pretty used car’ this statement is non-standardised as she uses ‘pretty used car’ meaning a really old car. She later on explains she thought the budget in this current film had increased.
Lastly, towards the end of the review, she talks about some of the camera shot in the film. For example the surveillance shots in the film. She said it brought thrills and chills throughout the audience.

The Second review which I analysed was from Empire magazine, by Kim Newman. In comparison to the first review, her review is organised into 3 Sections; plot, review and verdict. Also an image from the film was added. It is short compared to the first, and uses both formal and informal language, to reach out to a wider audience. The USP in the review is the Narrative as it is included throughout the whole review; however, Newman makes references to the change of directors in the sequel and the actors who play in the film.
At the end of the review Kim, also makes reference to other films that the viewer may also enjoy which also reaches out to a wider audience.

The last review which I looked at was from the Chicago Sun Times. A common factor which all the reviews contained was the same image from paranormal activity.
In the introduction it contains an informal tone, when describing moments of the film as ‘Gotcha moments’ in this case meaning moments where the film is loud and scary. Unlike the other to review Roger talks about camera in the middle of the review. The review is organised well, with the cast and credits in a section.

Links.
1) http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2027132,00.html
2) http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/ReviewComplete.asp?FID=136856
3)  http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101022/REVIEWS/101029991

Review: In the making

Teaser poster

Poster draft

Review

The Unknown Film Poster #1 Teaser

Feedback from audience reaction sheet (1st Rough cut)

Textual Analysis Insidious

Textual Analysis

Insidious

A similar film to the one I will be making is Insidious which was released on the 29^th of April 2010 and was directed by James wan. The movie is a supernatural horror.

Todorov’s equilibrium model can be applied to this movie. The movie begins with equilibrium (a state of normality). The equilibrium is the beginning of the movie when the family are spending their first day at their new house whilst the father is at work the mother is looking after the youngest of 3 children. Later on the father returns and the oldest of the three children whose name is Dalton goes into the attic and falls and hurts his head whilst trying to climb a ladder. The next morning when the father tries to wake Dalton up for school he doesn’t respond. The disruption is when we discover that Dalton is in a coma, as a result of the accident he had. After this there is a chain of paranormal events that happen in the house. A lady called Elise is called to try and get rid of whatever is haunting the family then we come to discover that Dalton is able to astral project and is too far from the physical world and that a demon is trying to enter his body. Later we find out that the father was also able to astral project as a child and so in his sleep he tries to rescue his son. The demon ends up entering the father’s body. Todorov’s equilibrium model states that after a disruption there is a new equilibrium. At the end of the movie we realise that the father is possessed as he kills Elise and we are left wondering what else is going to happen.

Binary opposition are a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system by which, in language and thought, two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another. Levi-Strauss theory of binary oppositions can be applied to Insidious as there are the oppositions of reality and dreams. The little Boy who goes into a coma is actually in a dream as he astral projects. Astral projections are an out of body experience therefore again this relates to the binary opposition of reality and dream. There is also the binary opposition of soul and body and good and evil.

The film is in non-chronological order because the father has visions of his past every so often during the movie. Insidious has an open narrative because at the end of the movie Dalton comes out of the coma as he is rescued by his dad. We find out the father wasn’t able to come back to his physical body and that a demon is now in it. He is possessed but we do not know whether he is going to kill his wife and children or even if his son Dalton is possessed too, thus the film is open as there is no clear resolution.

The movie has a restricted narrative as we don’t understand why certain things are happening to the family but later develops to become omniscient as we are told why the little boy is possessed/haunted and not in a coma and why the family are experiencing paranormal activity in their house.

The characters within the film are typical of the genre. Firstly the mother is the one who sees people around the house and witnesses most of the paranormal activity.  She is delicate, sensitive and easily scared this is a typical stereotype of a woman. Also she spends all day in the house. This is because she works from home and also looks after her younger baby daughter. This adds to the stereotype that women should stay at home and look after the children. The hair and make-up on her makes her look tired and gives us a sense that she might be unwell as her skin is pale and she is very skinny. Also the fact that she is the only one to witness the paranormal activity and the husband not believing her again adds to the stereotype that women are fragile and easily frightened.  

Here we can see the mother looking pale and tied as she has bags underneath her eyes and looks sad which suggest she hasn’t been sleeping well or could also suggest she is ill.

            It is typical in supernatural thrillers for women to be the ones who experience the paranormal activity more and are the ones who are most frightened. Movies such as; one missed call, uninvited and the unborn are similar movies that also use women as the main characters and are the most fearful characters

The husband on the other hand is portrayed as strong and courageous. This is shown all the way through the movie particularly in the middle of the night when the house alarm goes off and he is the one who wonders around the house looking for someone who might have broken in; towards the end of the movie he is the one who saves his son and brings him back. This portrays him as a protector and a hero. This again is a typical stereotype that is given to men and also typical of the genre. The father also works outside of the household, this adds to the stereotype that men are suppose to be the breadwinners of a household/family.

The above screen shot shows the father when the alarm goes off. He is in the dark on his own. This portrays males as courageous and fearless.

Again it is typical in supernatural horrors for the males to be the stronger and more courageous characters.  Most movies portray males as the ‘protector’ who is always trying to save the main character from whatever it is they are seeing and experiencing.  A movie that also uses a male as the ‘protector’ is paranormal activity. In paranormal activity the husband is always trying to protect his wife of the demon that haunts her.

The child is the character who is possessed and kept imprisoned by the demon whilst in his astral projection. Children are innocent and small so this adds to the representation of age that children are delicate and weak as the child is persuaded by the demon and then kept imprisoned so that the demon can take his physical body. Childs play for example is a movie that uses a child as the main character who is also the one being haunted.

This images shows Dalton tied up.

This image shows Dalton in a hospital bed this shows his fragility.

The woman who helps them save their son is an elderly woman called Elise. Personally I think that it is effective to use an elderly person as it suggests that she has a wider knowledge on the subject, is more respectable and is taken more seriously. This adds to the representation that elder people are more respectable and wiser.

This picture shows the woman who is the ‘exorcist’ type character. We can see that he is elderly by her hair and face.

 

Although it is effective to use an elderly woman as the ‘exorcist’ type character it isn’t typical of the genre. In other supernatural horrors such as the last exorcism and the exorcism of Emily rose they mainly use males, this could be because priests are often male and they are the ones who mainly carry out exorcisms.

The representation of gender and age are both realist and stereotypical to a certain point. They are realist because for example men do tend to be stronger and more fearless whilst women are more afraid although some women consider this a stereotype.   

During the movie there is lots of non diegetic sounds for example high pitched music. The music is used to created suspense and tension. Diegetic on screen sounds such as the sound of a clock ticking and drops of water falling from a tap in the idle of the night also add to the suspense and tension of the movie. There is also a scene during the movie were the house alarm goes off this a diegetic sound as it is part of the film world. The sound of the alarm is also high pitched and suggests someone is trying to break into the house which instantly frightens the audience. In another scene the mother wakes up from a nightmare screaming. The screams are echoed firstly and then we hear her taking deep breaths. It is typical of horror movies to have the sound of someone breathing deeply as it conveys that the character is frightened allowing the audience to feel scared too. It is also typical of horror movies to include whispers from ghosts. In insidious this happens through the baby monitor although it is unclear at first we then hear the whispering voice say very loudly ‘I want it now’. The sound of the ticking metronome is used to put the father to sleep it gives a sense that he is being hypnotised. This is typical of the genre as some horror movies use ‘exorcisms’ to get rid of the ‘demon’ through hypnosis. Towards the end of the movie when the father is trying to rescue his son Dalton he comes across the demon who is listening to music whilst sharpening his nails. The music used is contrapuntal because the music is calm, peaceful and has a happy feel to it.

Most of the film if not all of it seems to be filmed handheld. This creates a sense of realism. It is also typical of the genre as movies such as paranormal activity use this camera technique too. There are alot of zooms and extreme close ups in the movie which helps to show the characters facial expressions and allows the audience to feel more aware of how the characters are feeling and also feel the same. There are a few tracking shots used to allow the audience to follow the action. Also some of the tracking shots are point of view therefore allowing the audience to see through the characters eyes and feel as if they are also part of the movie.

The lighting within the movie is low key and there aren’t any vivid or bright colours within the movie either. This is typical of horror movies as people normally associate the dark with the evil and so this is a successful technique to use. It also leaves the audience feeling frightened as it is hard to see what is going on and what might happen next. There is also alot of candle lighting towards the end of the movie again this is typical of horror movies as it sets a chilling atmosphere. The movie is filmed in a house. This is typical of horror movies especially supernatural’s that involve ghosts and haunting. Paranormal activity is a similar movie which is also filmed in a home. The blood in shape of a hand print on their son Daltons bed sheets suggests that something is after Dalton. Smoke is also used in the last few scenes of the movie when the father is astral projecting. This is again typical of the genre as it brings a mysterious and strange atmosphere to the movie.

There isn’t much editing used in insidious this could be because it creates an increased sense of realism. Most of the cuts are straight cuts although they use a couple of fade to blacks. The first fade to black is when there is a passing of time and text appears on the black screen saying ‘3 months later’. The following fades are used when the father is dreaming or having a vision of his past. This is typical of horror movies as most of them normally contains flash backs and dreams and a fade to black normally represents this. Shot reverse shot is used when characters are having conversations. Lastly at some points during the movie especially when the demon is chasing Dalton and his father the cuts become faster this is typical of the genre as this creates a sense of panic and suspense.

 The story line is typical of the genre to a certain point. It is typical of the genre in the way that it includes ghosts and demons and uses the theme of fear. On the other hand the storyline is not as typical of the genre as the idea of astral projection is normally used and associated with psychological movies.

 

Insidious Poster Analysis

Poster Analysis

The image on the poster has had a special effect. It is made to look like a surveillance camera. This could be the eyes of the presence watching over the child and dog.  Also the lighting is low key and has a blue filter to create a dark mood, being part of horror conventions. The reflection in the mirror does not show the baby in the cot. This is abnormal therefore goes back to the title ‘paranormal’ meaning supernatural activity. The reflection could be representing the objective of what the demon wants to achieve in this case taking the child.
The effect on the poster suggests to the audience that the special effect is used in the film.

Critical Acclaim is present at the top of the poster. It takes up a third of the page which suggests that the USP. This makes the audience believe and give them reassurance that the film is recommended by a reliable source. For example; magazines and other film resources. The critical acclaim is contained at the top of the poster to be eye catching to the audience.

The Title of the film ‘Paranormal Activity’ in my opinion suggests that’s it’s a horror film. Paranormal activity defined would mean surreal unknown activity.
Red Connotes danger and could suggest to the audience that danger is present in the film. The title is slightly smudged which could also connote blood being spread. It is positioned clearly at the bottom half of the image on a black background standing out. The effect on the title could suggest interference and noise.

In terms of mise-en scene, the setting in the picture is a nursery. Inside the room are the child and the dog. The dog is used in the scene which is clever. It has identified that there is something wrong therefore it is on its feet and is perhaps barking.  Animals are known to have a sixth sense. In the audience perspective nothing is happening. However, because of the dog’s reaction, this suggests to the audience that the film may contain ghosts of some sort.

There is not much text on the poster. The title is in capital letters. This makes it bold and stand out more than any other text on the poster

On the website viral marketing is used, there are links to Facebook, twitter. This relates to the younger youth who use social networking sites.
The poster says that the film is coming soon, with the website on the top. This encourages the audience to constantly check to see when the film is being released.

The ‘paramount’ is put in the corner, to be recognised as an established company to the audience.

The target audience of this movie is 16-24. Initially this film was rated at 15, therefore would suit this group

Overall the poster is simple. The main colours are; black, dark blue and red. These are all dull colours. This could connote the dark presence of the film.

Textual Analysis

The film which I will be analysing is paranormal activity 2. It was released in the 22^nd October, in the UK. I was directed by Todd Williams. Paranormal Activity is a horror film with a sub-genre of supernatural.

In the film there is a simple narrative. The narrative is left opened, which therefore enables the audience to wonder what will happen next in the following films. Examples of this include Halloween and nightmare on Elm Street. The equilibrium in the film was when the mother and father brought home a new born baby (Hunter) home; this was the normality in the film. The disruption occurred when the house was burgled, and the family suspected a presence in the house. The balance was then restored when the film skipped to ‘3 weeks later’ with the sisters Katie and Kristi, talking about the current week. The film is in non-chronological order. The audience later realise this because at the end of paranormal activity 2, it rewinds back to the previous paranormal activity film. To some extent the audience are restricted in terms of knowing where the spirit is coming from. Binary oppositions include light/dark, dream/reality. Binary oppositions were introduced by Levi – Strauss, which are contrasts that used in a narrative. These types of oppositions are used to emphasise the genre of the film. Light/dark – most horror movies contain contrasts in light for example, low and high key lighting.

At the start of the film we saw that the door was open. It was established that none of the characters opened it therefore the audience knew that the presence/demon was brought into the house. This is one of the conventions of a horror movie. The presence comes through the door trapping victims inside. In horror there are a number of ways which suggest death occurring. Dialogue like ‘I’ll be back’ is a signifier of death approaching. (E.g. scream) In relation to this film, numerous members of the family went to investigate weird noises they heard and it resulted in abnormalities.
The characters in this film include; Daniel Rey the father of the family, Ali Rey the daughter, Kristi the mother, hunter the first born son of the family Martine the maid. Micah Sloath who was from the previous film, and his wife (Katie Sloath).
The audience gathered from the first film that she killed her husband in the previous film. However, she returned to the second paranormal activity and seemed to fit well into the family. It was not clear to the audience until the final moments what Katie’s aims were, as her behaviour was just like all the other characters. The storyline of paranormal activity is typical to its genre of horror. Horror movies usually uncover who the antagonist is at the end of the film. For example ‘Insidious ‘and ‘The Forth Kind.’ Usually in horror films there is an event that turns the killer insanse, in this case a childhood memory which is a common narrative structure.
Victims in a horror movie are usually females who are portrayed as helpless & unaware of anything. They are looked at as weak and an easy target. An example of this in the film is when the demon dragged Kristy down the stairs and sent her to what seemed to be the demons closet. When she returned from the closet she suddenly had an upright posture with blank facial expressions on her face, very pale. Her body language was very cold and it suggests to the audience that she had been taken over by the spirits powers as she also had bites and scratches on her skin. In my opinion the representation of gender in this film is stereotypical as it portrays females as weak. On the other hand this is a common convention in horror movies. They represent her character as vulnerable and fragile as the demon kept destroying her family and her home. In comparison men were left un- harmed to suggest males having dominance and control.

In terms of sound in the film a lot of diegetic sounds are used, as the speaking regularly. An example of off scream diegetic sound was when we heard Ali screaming from upstairs. This questioned the audience as to why she was screaming and also the suspense and tension as to what the family were running upstairs to see. Screaming is a common diegetic sound which occurs in horror films. More examples include the new born baby crying.
To create an atmospheric mood at night time the director used non diegetic sound, to create this mood leaving the audience on the edge with suspense.
As the film begins the audience see the setting of the house in which they live, which breaks the conventions of a typical horror film. In paranormal activity we see a neighbourhood with a number of cars and houses around. According to the conventions of a horror movie, the setting is supposed to connote isolation, with urban surroundings, dark alleys etc. during the film we started to see conventions which suggested horror.  This identifies the equilibrium of the film and is typical of the genre. The idea of an establishing shot is to set the scene for the audience. Each night in the film the audience se an establishing shots of each location on the property. E.g. swimming pool, living space. The whole film is made on a handheld camera this is used to show point of view, it also gives a sense of realism. Not only does it make the audience feel part of the action. But it also promotes a feeling of terror by the unknown. In terms of horror conventions point of view shots are used so the audience can be in the position and POV of the victim. A lot of mid and long shot were used in the film so the audience could get a feel of the surroundings, also so the audience could locate the activity that was going on within the house.
When the family installed the cameras in the house the director decided to put special effects to connote a surveillance camera and the following piece of footage will be used as evidence. On the bottom right of the image the time is evident. also the film only has straight cuts which are exceptionally fast, which creates unsettling tension and suspense.

Textural Analysis

The film I will be analysing is ‘Final Destination’; it was directed by 'James Wong'. Final Destination is a psychological horror which was released on the 17^th March 2000 and is part of a 5 part series (Final destination, 2, 3, The Final Destination and Final Destination 5). The film is about one person who has a premonition and then after coming back to reality it comes to life, the people that she happens to save then begin to die in the order of her premonition, as they all come together on a various occasions trying to cheat death they die one by one.

Final Destination somewhat follows the model of Todorov, in the sense that the teens are out about to go on an exciting trip to France with the school (balance) then the premonition and plane crash where people die (disruption) 

And then it’s a new equilibrium where everyone dies except one which leaves a cliff-hanger. In relation to Levi-Strauss' theory of binary oppositions it can be applied to Final Destination as it uses premonition, as he is in a state of seeing the future and then jumps back to reality, this represents the view of dream → reality. He said that story elements which give meaning will usually appear in pairs. In critical theory a binary opposition is a pair of theoretical opposites EG. a story will usually be organised into binary opposites like hero/ villain or rich/ poor. In this case its dream/ reality.

The film is in a non-chronological order apart from the time she has a premonition. The narrative is closed because the ending is clear, it does not baffle or leave the audience wondering. Similar to this film is Jeepers Creepers as it follows the ways of Final Destination. The narration is omniscient as it does not focus on one character alone; it shows different point of views in contrast to restricted narrative.

The characters are typical to the genre as there’s is usually a group of teenagers going on a trip, in the film it’s a class group of teenagers going to France this happens in films such as Haunted Boat. In terms of behaviour they are rowdy and excited; there are different social

groups within them like the popular girls, jocks and others etc. The way of speaking is informal and the facial expressions are neutral, other than the boy who has the premonition which become frightened and scared after this occurs everyone becomes scared. The body language is slouched and relaxed until on the plane. Hair and makeup is typical of teens, brushed or straightened not over the top and make up on females is subtle. These are all typical school student stereotypes.

The costumes, props and behaviour, facial expressions and body language of the characters 

and they contribute to the representation of age because with the costumes they use stereotypical costumes, the 'jocks' have the varsity jackets, the girls that all the boys want look more made up than the others and the girl reading a book Is the 'geek'. Their behaviour represented age eg. The jocks didn’t want to talk to others and saw the boy who had a premonition as a 'freak' and fought him. The representation is stereotypic of age because it outlines different social groups and does what they are labelled as doing for example the girl reading the book on her own shows she is not part of any social group and when the families come to pick up their children after the incident she has no family for her, indicating a lonely person and also there's more to her than showed.

The film follows the genres conventions to an extent as it Is that the storyline focuses on “character fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relevant music and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot” (Wikipedia), Final destination is based on characters fears, beliefs and guilt to an extent. The relevant music is used to make it more dramatic and there is a lot of emotional instability between the characters that survived. The editing is fast in some places yet slow in others for example at the start of the plane crash its all fast then goes slow as everyone dies one by one and also the killings of the people who survive are fast, i think this is so the audience gets the full effect of what is happening. The combination of cross cuttings and jump shots allows the audience to see all the characters one by one. This is typical of the genre as it’s supposed to be character focused and the murders happen fast but in a slow way. The mise en scene is very typical, props like a knife was used which is associated with many films of this genre such as Childs Play. Use of props such as sharp objects is typical and water spills and wires, in Final Destination the sharp object cuts off the head of the person, this happens in a lot of horror films, it could be said to be a convention. The lighting is often dark to make the scene mysterious and make the audience jump. 

Ancillary Product

 Final Destination is a Psychological horror film. The poster communicates the genre firstly because of the characters who are placed in the shape of a triangle, half of their face is normal and the other side is a skull, showing that they are alive but dead which is what the film is about. There all facing the audience with a neutral facial expression. The characters faces are made to look really dark as if they were fading away. Also the background is black with lightning bolts represent a gloomy night. The title of the film is ‘Final Destination’; this can indicate death is the last place for them, they are all said to be guaranteed death and that’s their ‘final destination’. The USP of the poster is the characters, there the biggest part of the poster, the 5 on the poster are the teenagers who got off the plane when the male at the front had a premonition that the plane will crash and what happens to them next makes them the USP. The colour scheme was red, white, black and blue, the font was in capital letter and bigger font was used were needed for example the ‘I’LL SEE YOU SOON’ was in small words underneath the name of the film as a cliff-hanger and also in another colour so that it could stand out. The tagline/slogan was ‘No accidents. No coincidences. No escapes. You can’t cheat death’, this attracts the audience to see what it means and shows there will be killings in the film and sets the audience up for it. The target audience is 15+ and is aimed at both males and females. Final destination represents age and gender.

Reece Report

Rachels house: in this location is where we will shoot the majority of the film, this is where everything happens. 

Bedroom: this is where she has her skype conversation and falls asleep, the room is spacious and allows us to shoot from different angles

-INSERT BATHROOM-

School: this is the path Shanice walks down before entering her college.

Toilets: the mirror she looks at / dies at

Toilets: the doors she opens when she feels somebody is in there with her

Toilets: the doors she walks into and never walks out of

Analysis/Annotation of review of textural analysis film

For my analysis/annotation of a review of Final Destination I went on the website Rotten Tomatoes which is a archive of past reviews which also outline the top critics. After reading some reviews I chose to analyse where New York Times, Chicago Sun Times and BBC.

1. (http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/movies/29final.html)
2. (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000317/REVIEWS/3170304)
3. (http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C00E5D7163AF934A25750C0A9669C8B63&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes)

In New York times the article written by Steven Holden, the language used is formal and academic for example it used words such as 'pandemonium' and 'grotesque self-strangulation'. These words would not be associated with people of a loser class and is most likely to be aimed at a middle class audience and older generation readers. The target audience of NY times is mainly middle to upper class, literate, professional occupation male and females over 20. The writing is straightforward to the point as it, the author refers to Rube Goldbergesque a American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor the referring of him shows its aimed at a audience intrested in such things. Many words used in the article are not used over a range of audience and the element which is focused on by the reviewer is the narrative. The review criticizes the narrative and calls it 'dramatically flat' and ends with 'The movie is so busy rigging its stunts that it forgets its teenagers aren't just sitting ducks; they're people, too'.

The second review I analysed was by Chicago Sun Times written by Robert Ebert. The language is formal but addressed in a informal way, EG. Uses rhetorical questions and humour such as. This makes the review more interesting and entices the audience to read on. This review would appeal to a variety of audiences as It caters to every readers needs. The element of the review it focuses on is mainly the narrative. The writer makes jokes and says things like 'It's a funny thing about Hollywood: It can't seem to get enough of dead teens' and the audience would agree. It tells the story but doesn't at the same time. It builds a image and expectation. It compares it to films like Scream and 'visions' a sequel, this is a play on words as its to do with the premonitions. In comparison to the New York Times its more laid back and suitable to feed for a teenage age upwards.

The last review that I chose to analyse was from BBC written by Ben Falk. The language used is informal and is addressed in a informal way using words like 'norm'. It is short and straight to the point and doesn't have the reader reading for a long time. The review gives positive feedback and emphasised the audience to go watch by saying 'one destination that's definitely worth visiting'. Also a play on words. The element of the review it focuses on is mainly the narrative like the other reviews I read. It very briefly outlines the storyline unlike the other reviews, this review is merely 5 paragraphs ranging from 2-5 lines each. But it is enough for the audience to have a brief overview.

All the reviews have similarities but are very different, they cater to different age groups, social classes and attention spans. The use of formal language is aimed at a older generation whereas the informal language is aimed at the younger generation. All reviews show positive and negative feedback which shows a unbiased view.