Production Cards Research

Production cards play a fundamental role in informing the audience of the companies working together in order to produce the final film. Typically, there are two production cards before a film begins; the first being the production company followed by the distribution company. There is no requirement for the production cards to reflect the genre of the films that they produce.

Having conducted research into mainstream production companies, I have found that there is an elite group of major companies known as ‘The Big 6’.

• Warner Bros.
• Paramount Pictures
• Walt Disney
• Columbia Pictures
• Universal
• 20th Century Fox

They are the giants of the film industry. Each has its own production card which follows specific conventions and trends which are mostly apparent in these big budget production companies – they grab the attention of every member of the audience. They’re big, bold and beyond loud. The audience knows when a film is about to begin when they hear the production cards.

Here are some examples:

Warner Bros.

Universal 

It is clear that these companies have very high budgets and produce big Hollywood movies purely from the production cards; a lot of CGI is involved and the ‘grand’ nature of them illustrates the wealth of the companies.

On the other side of the spectrum, there’s lots of little production and distribution companies which fund independent films such as:

• Film 4 productions
• Pathé
• Big Talk Productions

Here’s an example of a lesser budget independent distribution company.

Pathé

As a smaller, lower budget distribution company, Pathé has kept the production cards very simplistic; there’s less bold music and there is no crazy visual effects to truly grab the audiences attention. However, it’s not as if the company has not produced successful films – Pathé distributed films such as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘127 hours’

As my opening sequence is going to be based around the independent film market, I need to follow the conventions of the lower budget companies – keeping things simple and without bold audio effects.

Title Analysis – Se7en

The titles for this film begin immediately. This contrasts with the opening titles for ‘The Purge’ where there was a slight introduction to the context of the film.

The backing track consists of a constant beat which increases gradually in tempo until 1:14 where the is a big jump in tempo and volume to raise the audiences heartbeats and build a great amount of tension, anticipation and enigma codes from the audience. The footage in the background depicts a multitude of seemingly significant clips that may be clues for as to what the film may be about. A lot of enigma codes are raised from these clips.

Font, colour and positioning

Similarly to the purge, the titles in this film are small, white and in a sans serif font. Each title is presented, predominantly, between shots which dramatically increases the suspense factor and does not obstruct any of the backing footage. Although the title for the film is initially the same size as the other titles, it flashes/glitches into a much bigger font to emphasise that it is, in fact, the title of the movie. Again, similarly to The Purge, white is often closely associated with ghosts and spirits and as a result of these connotations, the genre is effectively conveyed and established to the audience.

Titles entrances and exits

Each title follows the same ‘fade in/fade out‘ fashion that seems to be conventional in many horror films. It demonstrates and signifies the mysterious and ghostly elements of the genre and movie. Every title shown appears to glitch and have an animation to them where they either flash, duplicate or disappear for a short moment much like there is some sort of interruption. This appears to be a typical genre indicator and aids us as an audience to settle into the film. The titles have their own unique methods of exiting; some flash before disappearing, some stretch across the screen before disappearing and some just fade out. As the sequence progresses, the titles are seemingly more aggressive and abrupt in their animations and exits as if to reflect the possible structure of the plot of the film, not to mention, the build up of tempo created by these gradual changes in the credits.

Genre indicators

• Tense, gradually escalating music.
• White, glitchy titles.
• Background footage and the pace at which they’re cut together.

the titles used and their Order

The collage above shows the some of the titles used and the titles used overall seem to be the most significant contributors to the movie:

• The two lead actors
• Producers
• Editors
• Costume designers
• Music by
• The director

Each of these play extremely significant roles in this genre particularly. Actors give the reactions, connect with the audience and tell the story. Costumes are incredibly important in the horror genre; a persons outfit or costume can indicate the entire genre – you wouldn’t be frightened by a someone in a ‘Barney the dinosaur’ costume, you’d be scared by a masked murderer. Just like costumes, music plays an extremely important role in a horror movie. Music sets the tempo and can help to build suspense when necessary.

The order of some of the titles in the opening credits of ‘Se7en’ are presented above. It seems typical for the director of the horror movie to be last in the order of titles and the main actors to be first – also illustrated by ‘Insidious’ and ‘The Purge’. It also seems to be the case that, after the actors, the titles follow the order of:

• Casting by
• Costume designers
• Music by
• Edited by
• Production Design

 

Titles Analysis – The Purge

In any genre, titles are used to convey the genre to the audience and to provoke curiosity from them.

Following a brief set of titles to set the context for the movie, the opening titles for the ‘The purge’ are presented with a calm, relatively mellow and joyful backing tune – contrasting greatly with the footage we see in the background. People are being chopped up, stabbed, shot and these things, paired with the music suggests that this is almost a good, regular occurrence which raises enigma codes.

Font, colour and positioning

The titles themselves are written in relatively small, sans-serif font and are not particularly made prominent in any way. The small text may have been used to prevent any obstructions of the footage in the background; further suggested by the fact that the text, although the text overlays the footage, it does not obstruct any of the main events occurring in frame – it tends to be set to a side while the action takes place on the opposing side. The colour white (the colour of the titles) has connotations of purity, innocence which reflects the perceptions of the people in the film; that murder and crime for that one night is considered purification and innocent. White is also often associated with ghosts and spirits which helps to convey the horror genre.

Titles entrances and exits

The titles all fade in and out in the same, mysterious way; with a second copy of the text merging with the first – as if someone had difficulty focusing on the text when it first appears. (Illustrated below)

 

Again, this may be another feature included so that the credits are not made prominent and the ghost like manner that they appear illustrates the genre of horror. The blurriness and fading of the initial entrances and exits of the titles suggests a passage of time between shots. The final frame, which includes the titles for the main producers, feels slightly more prolonged as if to convey their significance in the making of the movie to the audience.

Genre indicators

• Although the music is seemingly calm and happy, this sort of music, including things like nursery rhymes, is a convention in horror films – an element which avid watchers of the genre are likely to be familiar with.
• The disturbing footage in the background.
• The ghostly presence and illustrations of the titles.

Questionnaire Results Analysis

As part of the process in producing a successful new movie opening sequence, I have been inclined to conduct some audience feedback research; this will allow me to alter any ideas within the film to the preferences of my target audience and take into consideration any suggestions that they may have to improve the success of the final product.

Question One

Question one, informing me about the sub-genre preferences of the target audience, suggests that the majority of people within my target audience are more enticed by a supernatural horror movie as opposed to gore or slasher. With the aid of this information, illustrated below, I have decided to continue with focusing on my idea of a supernatural horror.

Question Two

This is a chart measuring what the target audience are most afraid of. There is a clear indication that using young children or a figure that represents a young child would engage a fearful reaction that I will be attempting to provoke in my opening sequence from the majority of my target audience. This should, in turn, result in a more successful production.

Question Three

These results imply that the representation of the location and setting is deemed more significant and important to be established in the opening sequence over the establishment of characters. I will be making sure that the setting is made clear and I portray it to have an eerie atmosphere to create more tension.

Question Four

Generally, the responses to this question suggest that the majority of my target audience typically expect high-pitched sounds:

• Screaming
• Chimes
• Static

Along with a few others: Heartbeats, echoing, distraught voices. In response to these, I will be attempting to implement as many of these as I can without taking the film out of context. The use of screaming and distraught, echoed voices seems like it would be more appropriate for the scene I picture.

Question Five

I will be moderating my use of dialogue throughout my opening sequence as the target audience believe that this is the most conventional and presumably most effective choice for the genre. I understand that using little dialogue and possible silences can encourage an unsettling atmosphere to overwhelm the audience and this will contribute to the build up for the jump scare that I intend to implement.

Question Six

In terms of factors that help build tension, the results suggest that the faster the editing and the shorter the shots, the higher the build up of tension. Paired with the tense audio I intend to include, there should be a clear sense of suspense being built-in my opening sequence.

Question Seven

The results for question seven were very close with 45% of participants believing that titles interrupt the tense atmosphere that, conventionally, horror movies create throughout the opening sequence. However, the other 55% believe otherwise and this, paired with my own personal opinion that titles between shots encourage a tension to be created due to the pause of the footage being almost a suspense building element, has meant that I intend to include them in my final coursework piece.

Question Eight

Supporting my personal views, the results from question eight reflect the idea of having titles between shots is more favoured by my target audience and obviously, a reason for this may be that they empathise with my opinion that this format for the titles further builds suspense and tension. There’s also another possible reason; the target audience may believe that having credits over footage is obstructive. Regardless of the reasons, I will be including the titles between cuts due to the majorities opinions.

Question Nine

In regards to the use of filters, the majority decided that they would to prefer to see a dark filter which actually came as a surprise to me. I had anticipated that more people would have leaned towards a night-vision filter similar to that of ‘Paranormal Activities.’ However, there has been a clear indication that the use of a dark filter is preferred by my target audience so I will be taking this into consideration when editing my final product.

Question Ten

This broad question received few replies, although there was one answer that stood out greatly, ‘Don’t reveal/show too much‘. A mystery factor in the horror genre seems to be quite conventional and appropriate. It raises enigma codes for the audience suggesting that they are focusing more on the footage, unaware of what could happen and are constantly ‘on the edge of their seat’. All of these components combined will help elevate the fright element I intend to convey so I will definitely take this response into consideration when planning my opening sequence in more depth.

Audience Research Questionnaire

Question One

My main reason for asking this question is to receive a response and see the demand of each sub-genre from my target audience and if my narrative profile is accurate, the results should suggest that my chosen sub-genre (supernatural) has the highest demand. If I meet the demands of the majority, then my film will surely be watched and will be more successful with a wider audience within my targeted group. Not only will it help my production succeed but will also help with the development of a storyline.

      

Question Two

Similarly to my first question, question two is all about finding out the fear inducing factor that will compel my target audience to come and watch my film. The ideas suggested are also the most feasible however, if any different ones receive a high demand and are feasible then I shall try to use them.

Question Three

Question three will play a large role on my focus for my opening sequence. The presence of a character or locations and how they are presented will help to communicate with the audience and establish the genre of a film. An example of this would be a dark, desolate home setting which would conventionally be used to present a horror film.

Question Four

The audio that the audience can hear is almost as important as the footage itself as well as the way it is edited together. I asked question four to compile a list of conventions that my target audience may have heard in their prior experiences with this genre and these will have been sounds that clearly stood out to them. By doing this, I will be able to tailor the audio to be memorable and it will hopefully contribute towards making the opening sequence more engaging.

Question Five

This question will help me establish whether or not to use any features of dialogue within my opening sequence. If, for example, my target audience believe that using a lot of dialogue will enhance the intensity of the film then I will be able to incorporate such a device to meet the demands of the target audience and theoretically, resulting in more success.

Question Six

Question six will further my understanding of what people within my target audience would associate with tension building factors so I can implement them to enhance my opening sequence and potentially provoke a better, more extreme reaction from the audience with the jump scare that I intend to use by building up even more tension beforehand.

Question Seven

With the aid of question 7, I can establish the significance that opening titles may have in the opening sequence of a horror film. There is always a chance that titles interrupt any tension that is attempting to be produced. However, opening titles appear conventional within the genre and by asking my own target audience, I can measure the effectiveness of implementing titles into my own opening sequence.

Question Eight

Closely linked to question seven, question eight will help me to understand the preferences of the target audience. By asking this, I am also gaining an idea of what they believe is the most effective method in terms of which creates more tension or which is least likely to disrupt any tension being built and, in turn, I will act accordingly in terms of what I include in my sequence.

Question Nine

Asking this question will, again, help me to understand what my target audience find eerie and allow me to respond appropriately to make my final production as successful as I can and provoke the responses that I wish. A filter can greatly affect the atmosphere created at the start of a movie, especially horror. I’ve taken the example of a ‘Night vision‘ filter specifically because ‘Paranormal Activities’, part of my inspiration, use this filter from time to time and realised the effectiveness of its use.

Question Ten

This is the audiences opportunity to aid me in my final production. By forwarding any ideas or conventions, my audience are having the opportunity to personally impact and enhance the opening sequence. Question ten is a direct method to find out exactly what the target audience want/are expecting to see.

Target Audience – Narrative Profile

I have created a typical example of a member of my target audience in this narrative profile which will aid me on my features for my opening sequence allowing me to tailor it around this model.

Target Audience

My target audience will fall into the ‘E’ category in socio-economics. Between the ages of 16-25, my audience will be both male and female aspirer’s and explorers in terms of psychographic categories. Both their ethnic background and religious beliefs are irrelevant.

The Importance Of Audience Research

There are various reasons for conducting audience research before producing an independent film.

• There will be limitations with the target audience because the film is British independent – The target audience will be narrowed down.
• By using a questionnaire, your research will be direct responses from the target audience – Tells you exactly what they would want and what they expect to see.
• If there is too much or too little of any aspect the target audience was expecting to see, then the movie would be a failure.

Textual Analysis – 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002)

28 days later is a British independent horror movie produced by DNA Films and British Film Council.

Enigma Codes

Immediately, there are alarms going off in the audiences head questioning why people are behaving in the way they are at the start of the film. The opening sequence raises enigma codes from the sudden shock of the chaos we see and this immerses the audience from the very start. Examples of some of these enigma codes would be ‘Why is the lady crying?’ and ‘Where is all this chaos happening?’ By raising all these questions, it is clear that the audience is already fully engaged in the movie.

Characters

No characters were introduced during the opening scene of this film, it really just consisted mainly of scenes of pure violence and misery. Police had riot shields to fend off rioters and protect themselves and we can infer that, at the beginning, the rioting and chaos was taking place within a Islam orientated community/country and then scenes were changed to possibly a different community of people purely based off the clothing e.g. Head scarves. Since this is a British independent movie, the footage of the seemingly British police (indicated by the high visibility jackets) may evoke a sense of fear from the audience as these are the people in society who are supposed to be protecting them. In contrast to this, the violence being shown may, for some people, provoke a sense of safety as they see it as police keeping things under control. This sense of safety is ironic as, during a horror movie, the audience is typically looking to be fear induced.

Above is an example of policemen wearing typically British uniform – High visibility jackets and batons as opposed to guns.

Below, we see people who we can assume are in a Middle-eastern or Asian country, based purely on their headgear. 

Mise-en-scene

Regarding the lighting and location of horror films, this one does not follow the conventions. There is not much happening by way of lighting as everything appears to have a filter over it to make them look, presumably, like a news report so everything looked like it was happening under natural lighting. By making it seem like a news report and using natural lighting, the audience is openly invited into the movie and although footage may be uncomfortable to watch, it may help them settle in to watching it much sooner.

In terms of location, there were very few signs as to where all of this may have been taking place, subsequently, triggering an enigma code. The only possible indication for location would be the police uniforms and clothing of the rioters. The chaos taking place, for the audience, has no context and this triggers alarms in their heads and helps to provoke a sense of discomfort and possible fear that the genre typically attempts to achieve. 

Conventionally, lighting is dark and everything is located in a neighbourhood or house. However, these acts of violence unfolding before the audience may still have the same startling effect on them as that of a conventional horror film beginning.

Cinematography

The fast paced editing reflects the intensity of the scenes that the audience see on screen, aiding to help fully entice them from the very start. To further this, the camera movement appears shaky and handheld which makes the footage seem like authentic to live news reports and again, helps to fully entice them in what is happening.

Sound

In contrast to the mise-en-scene, the sound does still follow abide by conventions of a horror film; the high pitched screeches, some inaudible dialogue and sudden outbursts of a loud noise. However, there is no real fear provoking factor within the audio, it appears to mainly be used to set the scene and not startle the audience.  

Titles

No titles were included in this opening sequence. It may have been a possibility that Danny Boyle felt that titles would have disrupted the atmosphere and pace he was trying to convey throughout the opening sequence, to the audience. 

Textual Analysis – Insidious (James Wan, 2010)

The opening sequence

Insidious is an American independent horror movie produced by Alliance Films, IM Global and Haunted Movies and directed by James Wan.

Enigma Codes

The opening sequence raises a lot of enigma codes, the first one being ‘Who is that boy and why does he look so isolated?’ Following these questions, the audience attempt to construct answers; Perhaps he’s the boy we see on the posters and DVD covers.

    

Another enigma code brought to the audiences minds is, ‘Who is the mysterious lady and why is she holding a candle?’ Clearly, she is someone who you would typically expect to see in a house that a child lay sleeping in and this provokes the audience to be alarmed and question what will happen after the screen fades to black. To support the mysterious, creepy nature of this lady, the musics volume increases with every repetition before she is revealed, followed by the music staying at an almost steady volume while zooming in towards her and then fading into silence leaving the audience to anticipate what will happen next.

Characters

The character the audience immediately infers to be one of the possible main ones is the little boy who is so innocently lying in his bed – portrayed to be vulnerable and isolated.

The mysterious lady is presented to be the antagonist at the beginning of the lady by her quite sinister presence in the home of young, sleeping boy. The audience render her terrifyingly grotesque face as a sign of demonic/evilness and so making it apparent that she could be the route to any problem in the movie.

A ghostly figure of a man is showcased to the audience leading them to question his significance to the rest of the film.

This family photo shows a seemingly happy family of two parents and two young boys, this immediately triggers a response in the audience’s mind making the link of the possible relationship between the boys we see in the photo and the boy we see at the start of the sequence.

Mise-en-scene

The film appears to be set in a home which the audience would usually associate with safety and security and by contorting these aspects of the viewers beliefs immediately plays on their fears. This is further enforced by the scene being set at night-time; the time where we are at our most vulnerable.

The boxes in the house suggest that the family that we saw have recently moved into a seemingly haunted house. This scenario is conventional and common in the horror movie genre as it portrays to the characters to be unaware of any possible dangers and may even lead the audience to believe that they are excited and happy with a fresh new start. These two conflicting ideas of the family being happy and there being a lurking danger is alarming to the audience.

The lighting throughout the entire sequence is very low-key with the odd source of ambient lighting between cuts; a lava lamp, bedside lamp and a lampshade possibly leading to the audience questioning the significance of these light sources. This form of lighting is also a convention of a horror movie and is used to  convey an eerie, dark atmosphere. 

In the example above, lighting is used as a spotlight to focus the audience’s attention on the grandfather clock and this suggests the significance and implies that it may play an essential role in the storyline. This is an example of using lighting for emphasis of importance and as a symbol of iconography.

Sound

The use of non-diegetic music in the opening sequence is used to build up tension so that the jump scare is more effective. While building up to the reveal of the mysterious lady, there is ear-piercing screeching violin music which gradually builds in tempo and volume resulting in a build up of suspense. The sinister music building up is then brought back down to a steady volume when the lady is revealed before dissolving into silence when the screen fades to black, and so leaving the audience trying to anticipate what happens next. All of this is followed by a sudden, deafening screech of seemingly numerous violins coinciding with the reveal of the title of the movie – the jump scare, startling the audience before the actual film has even begun. All of these features are quite conventional within horror movies.

Titles

The title shown above is in a bold, red font and all the ends of the letters are pointed – similar to the type of points that are typically associated with the devil. These factors paired with the music and flickering of the letters (connotations of fire) implies a demonic, hellish theme that immediately further enforces and illustrates the horror genre to the audience.

Production card titles are all presented in a shadowed, red font. A second copy of the text then dissolves into a smoke which floats upwards before completely vanishing in an almost ghost-like fashion. This second copy may also imply a soul leaving a body; both of these elements are unique to the genre and helps the slow movements of the text may help to lower the audiences heart rates after the scare and welcome them into the movie.