Green Mile Opening

The opening to green mile uses an initially motionless camera to show us a scene featuring angry, poorly dressed men brandishing weapons running through a field. The stillness of the camera gives us perspective over how many people there are as we see them run passé one by one. The music at this interval is eerily quiet allowing us to hear with greater intensity one of the men screaming two girls names. By using a quiet piece of music we are put into a position of suspense as is common practise in thriller movies. Furthermore the sound of dogs enhances the panicked nature of the scene. The men are running in slow motion complimenting the eerie music.

When the camera zooms into a close up of a mans face we can see that this character is important due to him being the only one in focus. The pace then quickens as the camera pans left following the running men.  The music changes into a saddening piano piece generating a depressed atmosphere and implanting the idea that something is horribly wrong.

At the penultimate point the screen suddenly fades to black and the music reduces to nothing. We hear a man whisper something very disturbing with a mention of “don’t scream” showing us that we are hearing the voice of the man being hunted.

Finally we see the blackness flash quickly away as a mans eyes suddenly opening takes its place. The camera is in an extreme close up position of the mans wrinkled eyes.

The credits are shown in a simple font throughout the opening scene so as not to draw our attention away from the action. They fade in and out in the centre of our vision so while we are not distracted we are also not missing the names.

Sin City Trailer

The film trailer is in black and white however certain objects and people are full of a single vibrant colour. The black and white effect leans mostly towards the black side giving the trailer an extremely austere and dark atmosphere.

Almost every sequence is full of action and a rushed kind of chaos. The speed of the trailer makes it difficult to distinguish what is going on and who is who however this is not a bad thing as it gives the idea that the film is going to be full of surprises.
Special effects are used in the form of explosions and impossible stunts to sell the movies high quality, also we are bombarded with an all star casting list giving the movie the edge of having so many famous faces to its name.

The trailers music is used very professionally to enhance the shots with tense silences used to amply specific sounds and the loudest parts of the song used at the pivotal moments during the trailer. The music gradually increases in volume towards the end until it eventually stops and we’re left with the sounds of thunder and rain to draw the trailer to a close.

The shots used are full of clues that this is most likely aimed at a mature male audience between sixteen and thirty. We can see this it is full of such things as women, guns, explosions, weapons and action. The trailer uses these shots along with the cast and strange darkness to increase the audiences’ expectations of the film; furthermore this is done very well due to the high standard of filming and austere sequences. The camera shots pan to follow cars and focuses in on the key characters who presented in colour to enhance their importance.

Legend of the Guardians Trailer

This is one of the films currently being shown in all multiplex cinemas. while it displays spectacular usage of modern animation techniques it does not convince me to go and see it. It appears at first glance to be a clichéd piece of work with the twist of using a different animal. I generally dislike most modern animations however there are some exceptions to this rule, such as Toy Story and Shrek. on the other hand it is probably not in the intentions of the advertiser to appeal to me as this is clearly aimed at a much younger audience of males ranging from around 5 - 10 years old. Females also may be interested in some aspects however the concept of war and heroism is primarily a male interest.

While I say I would not enjoy this film, the last time I said that about an animation I was proved wrong so this goes to show that regardless of who the film is aimed at, any audience can enjoy it.

Made in Dagenham Trailer

This trailer is cleary aimed at an audience of middle aged to elderly women however almost all females will be drawn in by its themes. The trailer draws in its audience by displaying the idea of feminism and rights for females creating a united feeling between women. it is not often that a film appeals to women menaing that

This film is being shown at all multiplexes however it is also being shown at the more independent cinemas. This is partially due to it being a British film and this is one of the factors that appeals to me. The trailer strongly appeals to me as it shows elements of both a British culture as well as historical context. Furthermore it shows a certain level of sophistication which gives the impression that if we see this film we will not be given two hours of nonsensical rubbish but rather that we will learn something.

It's audience is primarily females however it is difficult to put an age group on it as various factors appeal to the different ages. it has elements of feminism which may appeal to older teenage - early 30 year olds however it also includes historical content within living memory. this factor may appeal to those who were alive during the events.

The fact that I find the film appealing shows that its audience could branch out from this stereotype to those who are interested in its political side or other factors entailed in this trailer.

Content analysis of film distribution in Norwich

The total number of films currently being shown is 26 films or 32 including the 3D versions. 23 (28 including 3D's) out these 32 films are being shown at the Odeon cinema showing the multiplex’s desire to show as many films as possible from the list of blockbusters. Furthermore the types of film shown are those designed to draw in as many people as possible showing the higher interest in profit more than anything else. The majority of these are aimed at a male audience between the ages of 10 and 18. this is shown by the majority of 12A and 15 certificates and male based genres, namely comedies and action films.

Of these 32 films 2 are British and 30 are American.

93.75% are from the USA
6.25% are from Britain
0% are from other countries

These statistics show that Hollywood completely dominates the film distribution with a meagre supply from our own country compared to the massive amounts coming from the USA. Moreover the lack of foreign language films is a significant drain on our culture while at the same time we are drip fed on the American view on everything from attitude to war to our ideology on life.

Cinema city is currently showing 5 films of which: 1 is American, 2 are British, 1 is Argentinean and 1 is French. This is starkly contrasting to the Odeon listings as it instantly shows a far more cultured selection, and while there is less on offer the types of film being shown appeal to a far more sophisticated audience who wish to see a film for its achievements rather than because it’s been excessively advertised. These factors create a far more pleasant ambience and the fact that they also show films from any year (rather than just the new ones) means that a lot of the films will be on show due to public demand meaning that they are what the people want. Finally cinema city also changes its listings far more often than the other cinemas meaning that in effect they have more on offer than other cinemas.

This research was carried out in the cinemas of Norwich between the 5th and 10th of October.

Film Noir and The Third Man

The term film noir refers to a dark natured thriller style film genre during the post World War Two period. It literally translates from the French language as “black film” referring to its notably bleak ambience reflecting the mood of the age. This period was filled with a sense of post war depression causing directors such as Carol Reed to create films like “The Third Man.” The conventions of a film noir movie are very similar to that of a modern day thriller. For example, the technology used in the films (be it for practical purposes or simply as a props) were state of the art as directors of this genre wished to demonstrate the glorious inventions floating about in the “modern” world. Furthermore the suspense filled plots and mysterious dramas are also seen in both periods of thriller, as well as the style of character used. The characters of a thriller or film noir movie are easily spotted as they tend to follow a pattern of behaviour and mood. The hero is often very outspoken and desperate to help those “helpless” damsels in distress who in stark contrast to this often turn out to be extremely ambiguous or double crossing people referred to as the femme fatal. Moreover the antagonist often has Byronic traits about their nature and subsequently captivates the “damsel” in a more intense way than the protagonist, at least until the hero overcomes the antagonist in the momentous final battle commonly seen in film noir and thriller films.

When you look at the Third Man you can instantly see that this film is a very stereotypical film noir film. Almost every aspect of “The Third Man” follows the rules of this genre from the technology to the characters. The character Anna however detracts slightly from the stereotype. Although she remains ambiguous for a large part of the film she is however not dark enough to be called “femme fatal.” Her character shows no evil intentions and her dark, eerie nature is a result of her love for Harry Lime. On the other hand there are parts which suggest her being in Vienna is illegal but nothing comes of this suspicion.

On the subject of technology the new drug “penicillin” is a key aspect of the film. Because of the exceedingly high popularity of this drug after what it did for the world during world war two the use of it sparks the idea that this film is very up to date and innovative. Furthermore it also uses technology such as slide projectors which is a further implication of this idea. Both holly martins and Harry Lime fit their roles as, protagonist and antagonist to the letter enhancing the stereotypical nature of this film.

Harry’s ambiguous death and underground movements reflect the popular criminal activity and gangster ideas used in the film noir period. He is the perfect anti hero, believing in a corrupt world where no one is significant and killing without remorse. Furthermore his betrayal of his best friend shows his relentless nature and by faking his own death we can see the cleverness of his actions.

Martins’ desire to aid the “helpless” Anna and watch over her despite her attraction to Harry Lime shows his heroic personality. He willingly helps people with no regard for himself. This trait is common in the film noir genre.

Everything about “The Third Man” is designed to cause suspense and mystery, which unfolds over the course of the film. Modern thrillers as well as film noir titles key goal is to create this atmosphere of ambiguity and tension.