Review of the First 2 minutes of Wrong Turn

Wrong Turn is a Horror film produced in 2002 by Rob Schmidt, it is about a group of 6 people who get trapped in a remote forrest, and hunted down by mad deformed psychedelic mountain men and killed. It stars Eliza Dushku, Jeremy Sisto, Emmanuelle Chriqui and others, and gained an approximate 10 million dollars from its box office.

The first two minutes starts off with a summit entertainment title shot and then a Constantin Film shot. They show this to let the audience know who helped produce the film. The first actual footage of the film is at 00:24, this is an establishing shot, showing miles of forrest with only 1 road on it, this shows to the audience the area in which the film will take place. This shot allows the audience to see how remote the location is, this is one of the cliches of Horror films, that the location is very remote. Over the top of this the name of the 2 production companies are shown again. The shot is still going, but the camera is pointing at the floor, this shows a darker side to the forrest as there are many shadows. Also many of the trees have been flattened, showing destruction. The shot then slows and stops above a cliff face, with 2 climbers on. One male climber and one female, they both look quite young. Having these actors allow the target audience, 15-30 year olds both male and female to connect to the characters, so when they are killed this makes the audience more scared as they think that it could be them. The man gets to the top of the cliff and the camera switches so it is looking up at him. Usually this shows power within a shot, but the camera is looking up to show how vulnerable the girl is, as the camera is from her point of view. The camera zooms in on the mans face to show his expression, which is happy as he believes he is in no danger and he has just completed the wall. The next shot is from his perspective and it is a shot out into the forrest, showing the beauty of it. A small amount of conversation occurs between the 2 characters and you see the man walk out of shot. You then see the woman struggling to climb the wall. The girl then falls due to poor fitting. This makes the audience jump as you think she is going to die, but her harness saves her. The man then talks to her, saying how they are 50 miles from the closest people, this allows the audience to know that the area is deserted. You then hear a deep drum beat at 01:43 and then an bird call out. This could signal something bad happen as vultures usually cluster around death. you then hear another drum beat this time, it is accompanied by a grunt, which sounds like the male climber. This suggests to the audience that the man has been killed and as you cannot see it, it raises tension. You then see a shot of the wall from afar, allowing you to see the woman stuck halfway up and the man is no-where to be seen, strengthening the audiences assumption that the man has been killed, this again raises tension. You hear the female climber say something, which sounds more panicky than how she was talking before. And then you see the mans head lying down over the edge of the cliff. Showing the audience that he is dead. This shows to the audience that it is a horror film as he has been killed off very early on in the film. This is quite common of Horror films to kill an actor off very early as it gains the attention of the audience and can help strengthen the plot. This is a good first 2 minutes as it sets the scene very well with the establishing shot and gives the audience enough background information for them to understand and then it also builds tension well as someone is killed but you cannot see how or who did it. 

The Grudge : Review of the first 2 minutes

The Grudge is the first film of 3 in a series of Japanese Horrors; the target audience is 15-30 year olds as the rating is a 15, allowing the main Horror fan audience to see the film. The storyline is about a American nurse living in Tokyo is exposed to a curse which locks onto a person in a powerful rage before claiming there life in a painful way and then moving onto the next victim. It was directed by Takashi Shimizu and stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr and Clea DuVall.

The first 2 minutes stars with the Columbia statute panning into the shot, with some slow eerie music in the background. This then fades to black, a door then fades in, it looks old and rusty. The sort you would expect to see in a Horror film. It then shuts by itself, you know this as you can see both handles due to the angle it the zooms in on the keyhole for a skeletons head to be visible on the other side and the title Ghost House Pictures appears, this allows the audience to know that they are watching a Horror film, as Ghost House production does specialize in Horror films. This then fades to black again the music is still audible but it is quiet. A line comes onto the screen, it helps explain about the curse which features in the film. This then fades out but the word curse stays there and turns red then fades out. This is very symbolic, without even seeing the film the audience already know that the film is going to be about a curse, and the red color suggests that it is going to be the killer in the film. Another line then comes onto screen, explaining about how the curse will gather in the place of death of the person who was killed by hatred. This time instead of the word Curse staying on screen, the word Death does, this suggests to the reader that people are going to die in the film. A third line appears on the screen after this one, this one talks about how the fury will overcome its victim. And the word fury stays this time. This strengthens the fact that the curse is born of anger. 

At 01:05 the first actual footage fades in. It fades in on a civilized area, which is quite populated  suggesting that it is the suburbs. It helps set the scene by, letting the audience it is set in Japan as an oriental boat is seen on the river and it gives the audience a basic knowledge of where the film is going to take place. A character then pans into shot. A white ginger male, with probable British ethnicity. The creepy music is no longer playing; all you can hear is the sound of the cars driving, which is visible in the background. The man is on a balcony and his facial expression shows some distress. The camera then cuts to another shot of his face, and a woman in the bed is visible behind him, and she calls the name Peter. She asks if he is okay but he does not reply this suggests to the audience that Peter is not all right and he is distressed in some way. She try’s to have a conversation with him by saying how he is up early. He turns round to look at her but doesn’t say anything. This is weird and is there to Creep out the audience. He then turns back out and swings himself over the balcony. The way he does it shows resistance but he is the only person by the balcony. Suggesting to the audience that the Curse is at work. The camera then goes to his perspective and you fall to the ground to hear a splatting sort of noise. You then see the shock on the woman’s face in the next shot. You see her peer over the balcony at  the body. Which is on the floor with the limbs spread out to each side. Creepy piano music then begins. The first to 2 minutes of the film then ends.

Hybrid Genres

Film Genres can be mixed so you have a hybrid film genre, for an example an Action/Crime film. The cliches and conventions are mixed so there are some from both.

An example of a Hybrid film is Fast and Furious 5. It is a Crime/Action.

It shares cliches from both Crime and Action Genres.

For example it invloves a plotline that is about crime and theft, but it is backed up with explosions and car chases which are Action film Cliches. Having a film with 2 main genres is a clever way of broadening the target audeince for the film as people who like Actions and Crimes are liely to enjoy the film. Many films use this as the main point of creating a film is to make a profit and this way the are maximising the revenue they can gain.

Characters

Adam and I have had a meeting about the storyline and cast of the film, we have decided a basic plot for the first 2 minutes and we have also decided we will use 1 actor as Tom Nood the ghost, we will need another 7 actors as the group of friends and we will also need 1 actor to act as the police man. We will only need this amount of people because at one point in every clip there will always be one person out of the shot who can film the shot. 

Film Title

Myself and Adam have decided to call the Film "Mine Forever". It took us a long time to decide this, as we wanted a name which related to the ghosts mining history and something related to the woods and the ghosts love for the fore mans daughter. Mine Forever has many meanings, the first word mine, relates to the fact that he was a miner in his life, but it also has a split meaning of mine as it objectively and that someone owns something. This represents the ghosts love for the fore mans daughter. An the second half 'Forever' suggests that something has been there a long time and will be there eternally.

We also decided to call the ghost of the boy Tom Nood.

WaterBoy - First 2 minute Review.

Waterboy is a comedy film that was created in 1998 by Frank Coraci, and featured Adam Sandler, Katy Bates and Henry Winkler. The story is about a boy who works as a water boy for his local football team and by chance discovers his talent for tackling and is put on the team, the rest of the story is about his rise to fame.

The film starts with a Touchstone Pictures title, as this company helped produce the film, in the background is the sound of someone scratching on vinyl decks. You then hear a noise that is associated with Australia, a bouncy sort of didgeridoo noise. A bass line then joins this and the first shot is shown. It shows a river on a sunny day, the camera is panning up to show the forthcoming river, it then flashes to the next shot, which is of the trees on the side of the river. Some of the producers name is shown on screen as well. The upbeat song, does suggest to the audience that the film is a comedy as the music isn’t quick, which would suggest Action, or scary, which would suggest Horror or slow and mellow, which would suggest Comedy. This then is taken of screen using a ripple effect, this links in with being on a boat. The next shot is looking down on the river, which is moving, suggesting that the audience is viewing from a boat. It then shows the directors name, and uses the same ripple effect. It then also shows Adam Sandler’s name, it does this as he is a famous actor and showing this to the audience might attract their attention even more as they know he is a good actor. The camera then pans up to show a football stadium and the title the Waterboy rush’s at the screen. The font is blocky, and reminisant of American Football team logos, but the colors do not correspond to any actual teams. The colors are bright and clash, which do give off a comical vibe. The next camera shot is then on the inside of the stadium, you can tell the team is training as a man runs across the pitch with equipment in the background and the stadium is empty. The music fades out quickly as the player runs past the camera. The camera slightly follows him to stop panning on to coaches. You can tell this from the way they are not wearing any football gear and they are holding a stopwatch and clipboard. The man says something, from this you can hear that he is from America and this suggests to the viewer that the film is set in America. You see a quick shot of some players training with some dummies. The shot after this is a group of cheerleaders practicing their routine. The rest of the shots until 01:03 are footage of the team training. While this is shown some more names are shown discreetly at the corners of the screen. This means that they are less important than the people at the start. A convocation then occurs between 2 men, the second mans accent is American, confirming that the film is set in America. This is strange, as you cannot really tell that the film is a Comedy as nothing comidical has occurred so far, this could mean that some comedy fans may loose concentration from the film. The 2 men’s conversation carries on until 01:27 when the shot changes to the tunnel. You can see the teams Waterboy walking out, this shot is used in many actual Football games, making the audience guess the plot a bit, and that the Waterboy will one day become a Footballer. The music starts again, but this time is a bit more rocky, as it is played on an Electric Guitar. The Waterboy sort of staggers out of the tunnel. The shot then switches to a huddle of team members. This is reminisant of what they do at the start of a game when they form plans, this suggests to the audience that they are plotting something, and as the way the camera shots are putting together it makes it look like they are looking at the Waterboy. It then goes back to the Waterboy and you see the first sign of it being a comedy. The Waterboy’s facial expression is crumpled as if he is making a face, but it looks like it is his face. Also the way he comically pumps his water machine suggests that it is a comedy. He then takes a sip of his water and tastes it as if it was a glass of wine, he then starts describing it, his voice is high and in a funny tone, making the audience laugh at him. The way he also describes it makes the viewers laugh as well, “its clean. Its cold. Now that’s what I call high quality H2O.” This last bit shows for sure that the film is going to be a comedy. I like the start of this film as it starts not showing that it’s a comedy and then at the last few seconds of the first 2 minutes, they show that it is a comedy. 

Film Certificate Research

For a Film to be shown in cinemas or sold in any way the film must have a film certificate, some of which guide the viewers and there parents on wether the film may be suitable and some are a strict rule, allowing no-one under the age of the film to see it. Below is a list of the film certificates and what they involve.

Definition/Notes
	Universal	All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children over 4.
	Parental Guidance	All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8.
	12A	Cinema only. Introduced in 2002. Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for very young people. Those aged under 12 years are only admitted if accompanied by an adult, aged at least 18 years, at all times during the motion picture. However, it is generally not recommended that children under 12 years should watch the film. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, commonly used milder swear words, and moderate violence/sex references.
	12	Home media only since 2002. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. Nobody younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game. Films in this category may include infrequent drugs, infrequent use of strong language, brief nudity, discreet sexual activity, and moderate violence.
	15	Only those over 15 years are admitted. Nobody younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, strong language, moderate-strong violence/sex references, and mild non-detailed sex activity.
	18	Only adults are admitted. Nobody younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with strong sexual activity is also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context.
	Restricted18	Can only be shown at licensed cinemas or sold at licensed retailers or sex shops, and only to adults, those aged 18 or over. Films under this category have material the BBFC does not allow for its "18" rating, thus the violence and sex activity will be stronger in R18-rated VHSs, DVDs and films than those rated "18," however, there is still a range of material that is often cut from the R18 rating. More cuts are demanded in this category than any other category.

As we are making a Horror film we are most probably going to try and aim to get a 12, a 15, or a 18. We wouldn't want to get a U, a PG, or a 12A as this would stop us putting in many popular horror film cliches, and it may also deter Horror fans from seeing it as they might assume that it won't be scary as it is suitable for children. We also wouldn't want to get a restricted 18 as it might put off Horror fans as it may be too disturbing.


Beneath is a list of the top 20 grossing Horror movies and what certificate they are and a table and graph to show this. The highest grossing is at the top of the list.

1. What Lies Beneath -  15

2. Gremlins -                 15

3. Blair Witch Project -   15

4. A Christmas Carol -    PG

5. Godzilla -                   PG

6. The Ring -                 15

7. The Grudge -             15

8. Paranormal Activity - 15

9. Paranormal Activity 3 - 15

10. Scream -                 18

11. Scream 2 -               18

12. Sleepy Hollow -        15

13. The Haunting -         12

14. Scream 3 -              18

15. Saw 2 -                    18

16. Amityville Horror -     15

17. Paranormal Activity 2 - 15

18. The X Files -             15

19. Dracula -                   18

20. Freddy vs Jason -      18

After this research into how a film certificate affects the amount of money a film makes, it show how important the certificate is. As PG's, 12's, U's and 12A's clearly don't work well as Horror films as only a few have ever reached within the Top 20 most grossing. Due to this research I believe that the decision is between an 18 and a 15 as these are the highest two categories. There are benefits and disadvantages of using both. Using a 18 certificate would be good as it would attract an audience that likes violence, swearing and sex scenes, and it also means we can put in many famous cliches  without worrying that they will be to gory. However a disadvantage of having an 18 is it majorly cuts down the box office audience as 15-18 year olds are one of the highest cinema attending audiences and you cut out many of them due to the age. A benefit of using a 15 certificate is that it will allow all of the target audience to watch the film, allowing for a larger profit. A disadvantage of using a 15 certificate is that you may be forced to cut out scenes of extreme violence. In conclusion I believe a 15 certificate would be best for our Horror film as it allows the whole target audience to view the film and will probably mean a larger profit. 

I have chosen to use a 15 for my film.

Film Project

We have decieded to create the start of a horror film. We have decieded to do this as we think that a Horror film will be easier and will allow us to achieve the high grade we both aim for. One reason we have done this as location will be able to find as a Horror can be filmed within the vecinty of civilisation as this helps the viewer relate to the victims scaring them when they are in a similar location. Another reason why we chose to do a Horror, as the target audience is very precise and we will be able to easily target them. It will be easy to follow certain Horror cliches allowing the viewer to know what they are watching. It will also be easy to make the scene scary and will make the viewer want to watch on.