Moving Image Production Has Always Been Lead By The Audience’s Demand For New Sensation

Ever since an 1878 experiment in the United States used an astonishing 24 cameras to produce the motion of a galloping horse, humanity has been captivated time and time again by the powerful art form of film and cinema; its hard to picture this massive achievement as a stride forwards in technology and art when considering the “awe-inspiring” effects and sensation films like Star Wars, Avatar and Lord of the Rings have produced.

But are these budget-smashing films worth the hype? Has humanity pushed forward technology and effects so far that these images of far distant universes and horrifyingly real, brutal battles have become our frank and merciless expectations? Have we become so ignorant that an immersive, original plotline must be backed up by six or, in some cases, seven digit budgets? If so, what hope is there for cinema?

Only a brief glance at the highest grossing films of all time lists confirms my fears; Titanic: $1,848,813,795, Avatar: $1,637,262,209, both these grosses together could surely do great help in the world if it was given to charity rather than spent watching these to films; my viewing of Titanic was satisfactory at best whilst films like The Godfather, with a budget lesser than $194,500,000 and blood that looks more like blackcurrant squash is one of my favourite films. Ranked second place in IMDb.com’s ‘Top 250’, The Godfather is still regarded as one of the best moving pictures to be produced 37 years on whilst Titanic isn’t featured. The fact that within twenty years a film budget can be raised by almost 200 million is shocking – surely pushed by the audiences demand for new sensation.

Another factor is, of course, the “extraordinary” film pushing the boundaries for all future films, Avatar. Being put on hold for over twenty years is was at first planned to be released in 1999, due to technical aspirations; was it worth the wait? Website Rotten Tomatoes described it as “more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling” Whilst Kenneth Turan of the L.A Times stated that the film had "flat dialogue" and "obvious characterization". To me it is extraordinary that a film with these labels has become, since I started this discussion, the highest grossing film of all time, it seems very clear that this was achieved down to technical sensation and marketing- with costing rumored to be over £500,000,000.

A major contrast with this is the reception of the release of famous film The Shawshank Redemption, with a budget of just $25,000,000 and gaining a measly $3,341,469 in profit. Though famously disregarded when released in cinemas, it is one of the most highly rented movies still today and regarded as one of the best films ever made, top of IDMB’s database with a rating of 9.1 with just under half a million votes compared to Avatar’s 8.5 with a mere 195,613 votes. It emphasizes the public’s apathy towards films without technical advancements, despite The Shawshank Redemption’s seven academy award nominations.

I believe that with our striving towards technical advancements has pushed us as an audience to disregard anything other than the best cinema has to offer, independent films such as London to Brighton that tackles important issues such as pedophilia, drugs and violence are not reaching our mainstream audience which I believe is disdainful. High grossing films such as Star Wars, Titanic and Lord of The Rings may teach the importance of love, friendship and morality but these topics have reached audiences time and time again whilst much more local, dangerous and, more important messages are failing. It is my view this needs to change if our ethics, alongside our viewing pleasure, are to be modernized; art, media and film is rapidly becoming one of our populations outlets for our views and ethic and if we do not bring it up to date and eliminate any ignorance to view these then what hope is there for the viewing public?

T.V Drama BARB Research

This is the BARB ratings of all T.V Dramas shown on week beginning 21/12 alongside their specific T.V Drama genre

And this is a table of U.S TV Dramas and their notable UK BARB Ratings

Prop Planning

My thriller film will consist of only one prop, but a prop that is seen as pivitol in thriller films; especially in our genre 'British Gangster.' This prop is the cigarette.

Cigarettes are seen all over the thriller genre. From the sophistocated cool of Noir legends like Humphrey Bogart to the much grittier and modern characters seen in thriller cinema today.

Film Noir legend Humphrey Bogart with his iconic cigarette.

Smoking can mean a vast array of things in thriller cinema, from the desperate, weak and betrayed Walter Neff in 'Double Indemnity' to the dangerous, firey femme fatales such as Rita Hayworth in classic noir flick 'Gilda'.

'Gilda's smoking links into her character as dangerous, firey and passionate; explained by her unfaithfulness to her husband in the film.

In my thriller opening the cigarette will be used as a link into the foreseeable events further on in the plot, with the silm, white figure of the female character being 'stubbed out' by her pursuers; the events further on being the female being killed by the men at the climax of the opening.

Thriller Audience Research Proposal

I am doing this research into thriller film audience in preparation for my thriller opening. This research will aim to find out:

1) The audience expectations of an independant/mainstream film
2) What settings audiences would most like to see in a thriller
3) What plot-line/scenes are most unsettling and effective
4) How the audience expects their characters to be presented (dialouge, costume)
5) Would the audience prefer an independent or mainstream film.

This will be acheived using the methods of online questionaires and screenings of selected video clips alongside them, feedback will be gathered via instant messaging or email.

I expect to find out that the audience expects an independant film to have an original plot yet lack a variety of sets and equipment, relying much more on the natural enviroment. This relying may contribute to the realism that comes with most independant films.

I also expect to find the opposite for audience expectations of a mainstream film, an unoriginal plot that draws a mass audience willing and eager to watch the same old film. This explains why I also expect the audience to prefer a mainstream film.

Costume Planning

Our thriller film is set around the sub-genre of "British Gangster." Setting the themes of moral ambiguiety and struggles in a flawed enviroment in a more modern and gritty enviroment.


These themes and how they are presented are relative to the costume used, therfore the costume required must be modern and recognisable alongside promoting the gritty and dangerous topics presented.

This coat is a good example of the requirements needed. Its dark colouring emphasises secretive exploits. It also draws attention to the shoulders of the wearer, reinforcing a threatening bulk carried by characters of british gangster films such as 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Essex Boys'.

Characters of 'british gangster' film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'

The costume can also be seen in the film 'Once Upon a Time in America." With the threatening bulk mentioned creating a moral ambiguiety of the characters, who can be seen as both heroes and villians in the film. This confusion of morality is common in gangster films.

Many of these requirements are found in the leather jacket. Alongside its drawing of threating attention it also emphasises a rigid coldness in its material and impact on the body, connotating merciless images of hardness. The contrast between the loose and tight fittings and the images they draw may be explored in our thriller film with the costumes of the two men, with prehaps the wearer of the leather jacket being the dominant of the pair. Leather jackets are iconic in british gangster films, with an exceptional example being the character 'Big Chris' in the film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.'

The character 'Big Chris' in british gangster film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.'

These boots also emphasise the hard-worn and tough lifestyle, alongside the coat they are also dark, bulky and draw threatening attention to the feet of the wearer. All these factors promote the hard-wearing, gritty and usually violent activities of the wearer and are usually seen in films like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch"

Location Scouting

One location our group agreed on using was a burnt down community known as 'The Civ.' This was chosen as it is a particularly bleak, dark setting that connotates images of immorality and destruction.
A lane that leads up to the location we will primarily be filming in. It may be included in an opening shot of our film, intertwining with the opening titles of our film. This was chosen as it connotates images of isolation with its narrow, forest lane alongside its very dark and gothic surroundings.


One of the few entrances to the civ. This frayed hole in a fence may be used in the first shots of our scene as it emphasises entrapment and a feeling of desperation if used for either an entrance or exit. Such factors as the rust of the gate also indicate certain qualities of thriller, indicating a lack of care and a flawed enviroment.

A gate that blocks off many entrances to the civ. This may be used in our film because of its connotations of not only isolation and entrapment, but its paticular structure of sharp points at the top indicating danger and harm. It also contains the qualities of the hole in the fence with its distinctive lack of maintenance, emphasising the bleak and dark qualities of thriller.




This is the main corridor once entering our location. This will definatly be used in our thriller as it shows many factors of the thriller films we have been studying. The distinct destruction, grafitti and litter indicates a dark, flawed enviroment and the long, bleak and isolated setting draws many comparisons scenes in "The Third Man".



(Above) Film group member Dan going through the main corridor of the civ. (Below) Two scenes of iconic thriller film "The Third Man" that shares qualities of the scene above, particulerly the very narrow, unavoidable path.

This image will most probably be included in our film. Mainly because it emphasises not just a flawed, destroyed, immoral word shown in many thriller films but the light beaming through indicates a battle of morality, something also scene in "The Third Man."































(Left) An image from location scouting in the civ. (Right) An image from "The Third Man" that draws up the same imagery of a battle of morality, light and dark. Another similarity is how this battle is shown, with light breaking through a particuler hole and exit in what is scene as somewere dark and isolated. The left image may be shown in our film with our title spraypainted alongside the hole, used in our opening sequence. Drawing imagery from the image below, the music album cover of "Who Needs Actions When You've Got Words" by "Plan B", which also connotates images of bleakness and desolation.

Continuety Task 2

1) The planning for my filiming task consisted of my group and I constructing both a storyboard and a shooting map consisting in detail what we were going to film and how.





2) The 180 degree rule used in my filming task a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera infringes the axis connecting the two characters the audience is confused and disorientated.

A picture showing the definition and rules of the 180 degree rule.

3) In the continuety task my group used an array of shot types and angles, with the main shot in question when character 1 walks down the corridor. This is shot with a tracking shot, emphasising the location used, a school, as it creates the illusion someone is also going down the corridor, following the character.