Planning: Inspiration

A long time ago I watched an episode of The Simpsons which I enjoyed and I wanted to find out more about the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.  Simpsons Link Click Here.  I read the poem and found some readings of it by famous actors Link 1 : Link 2

Research: Psychological Thriller Research on Scoop.it!

I did research and added it to Scoop.it! which is an internet based electronic pin board.

Click here to show link

Research: Art of the Title

You Only Live Twice

We see Bond lying dead and the camera zooms into the blood. A pattern comes onto the screen, resembling an oriental umbrella. Behind this pattern is a womens eye, This is then replaced by red and Sean Connery’s name comes up. Preceeding this we saw the director’s and producers’ names. These are the three most important names in the film. The next words shown are the name of the film, ‘You Only Live Twice’, and the fact that it was originally an Ian Fleming book. 

The title being early in the sequence shows us that it is a relatively old film, because it is not early in the sequence, being a false older film, or later in the sequences like most modern day films. The main title names for the films are shown on a background of women and a volcano. This is a classic Bond theme, as well as the sillouettes and music, sung by Nancy Sinatra. This intro is instantly recognisable as a Bond film. 

Mission Impossible

Flame and sparks. The first thing we see is a fuse. The classic theme that was behind the original Mission Impossible TV series has been brought into the film opening sequence. Short cut clips are shown in time to the music, the strong beat behind the all too recognizable peice of music is in harmony with the length of the cut clips. 

As the clips of the rest of the film are shown, clips of the fuse are intercut into it. Showing us that everything is leading to something explosive. We see the names of the agents, and the names of the actors. These names preceed the end of this short sequence showing the main title of the film. 

The scene cross disolves into a man sitting in a plane seat. Important names still coming in and out, while the camera pans out to show a flight attendant. She offers the man a film. He turns her down, then reconciders once she pushes. He proceeds to be given a mission, this adds a layer of mystery for the audience. Pushing us to watch more and finish the film. 

Ocean's 11

Oceans 11 has a classic title sequence. This time period was when new ways of creating CGI were being invented. So this is much of what editors used, as it was new and inventive. The style of this title brings to mind Vegas. This is also where much of the film takes place. The slot machines, bright colourful lights and pin board LED lights is a precurser to the rest of the film. The film has stars of the time, like Frank Sinatra, and as such, his is the first name we see. 

The music of this title sequence is in time with the piece. During the first part, we hear small pizzacato sounds as the next number comes onto the screen. Once the number has apeared we hear a long legato note, and parts of the main pice of music that the film is known for. 

The sequence shows many different aspects of the rest of the film, as well as showing us the names of the main people in the film. During the early films, the name of the film was shown at the very begining. Most modern films the title is at the end. This film was half way inbetween, and as such, the actors names are shown first, then the title. However there are also names of other important people after the title is shown. This sequence is used as a blurb to the film, just as much as it is used to show the names of the major contributors to the film. 

Research: Ideas

These two pieces of media above were the first two things I worked on. Not meant to be seen by anyone but myself, they were designed to give me inspiration.

Research: BBFC

The BBFC is an organisation that classifies films into catagories. These catagories are

for age and general audience. These catagories range from ‘U’ to ’18’. The catagories are chosen by the content. i.e. violence and swearing would be put in a higher catagory depending on the language used. 

The BBFC is a classification organisation, not a restriction. They cannot legally put a label on a film without the consent of the producers. However, most producers will go along with them  because they do not want to suffer legal issues due to their age rating being too low. Or a reduced audience from their classification being to high. 

Discrimination, drugs, horror, language and nudity are all reasons for the BBFC being around. They need to make sure that the right audience is viewing the film and that the age rating is not too low. They stick to strict guidelines for rating films to illiminate prejudice towards a particular film. Occasionally ratings are wrong using this method, but it is safer than just making one up. 


U- This is a general classification, showing that the film is ok for 4 and above. 
PG- Parental guidance is for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children
12 and 12A- These films are generally ok for those over the age of 12
15- No one under 15 can see these films in the cinema and parents are advised that they're not suitable for under 15
18- No one under 18 can see these films at the cinema

Example: Romancing the Stone
Due to the fact that the film was rated PG, there was a lot of controversy over the nude and violent scenes in the film. There was one scene in particular where a man got his hand bitten off by a crocodile. This sparked a lot of debate over the rating of this film. Eventually it was rereleased as an 'UNCUT' version in 2000 under the rating of 12. However, this was still considered too low, with many people asking for a 15 rating, but the rating was never changed. 

Research: 3 British Films

The King's Speech

The King’s Speech is about the hardships faced by King George, in his inability to address an audience because of a speech impediment. The king is played by the classic and enigmatic British actor Colin Firth. The audience is captured by Firth’s portrayal of a winning personality,  and we are dragged in by other famous british actors such as Geoffrey Rush and Michael Gambon. People are attracted to the film, not just because of its endereing quality, but also the fact that it is telling us a part of our own history. 

The Sweeney

The Sweeney is a classic idea and theme of Britain. Based on the hit TV series of the 70s, it has the classic team of an older mentor and a younger guy learning the business. The mentor is played by Ray Winstone, a cockney man himself, his rugged personality is perfect for the role and his name brings in people to watch the film. Along with him is musician Plan B taking on the role of his side kick. The audience of this film is glad to finally see the London skyline instead of Hollywood, bringing this film closer to home. 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a classic British spy thriller that is clearly aimed at an British audience. With it’s dark and mysterious themes, it hits the audience like a cold wind. The first thing you notice is the Cold War aspect of it: the typewriter, the steel, the undecorated hallway. This film is slow paced, however this gives you time to think, to figure out why and what is going on. The ideas in this are very British and would probably not do well in another country, however, this does not stop an audience from being overwhelmed with emotions when watching it. 

My Media Technology

This is my favourite Media Technology, I used ComicLife to take and record
the images into a document