Week 3: Infographic and Introduction to Genre Analysis

I have completed my Thriller genre infographic. I changed the layout of this slightly, responding to feedback given to me in relation to my original layout. The image below shows my original idea which I created within Photoshop. This idea was very clean cut and quite bright in relation to the thriller genre. I kept the layout of the content within the infographic, but I have added a background and some images within the infographic. I also kept the layout of the target and the timeline.

Initial Thriller Genre Infographic

The image below shows  the development and changes I have made to my infographic. I have kept the timeline and target in the centre. The changes which I made to this infographic are:

- Added a distressed look background in the colour scheme of grey which suggests the thriller genre.

- Faded images related to the thriller genre in the background.

- Use of blood splatters as shadows, represents the iconography of the blood splatters and also shadows which are associated with thriller films.

These are the main changes I made to my infographic, I believe that my final infographi (below) represents the genre of thriller. This is because of: the font, colour scheme, images and iconography used.

Final Thriller Genre Infographic



Overall, I believe that my infographic portrays the genre of thriller. This is because of the different aspects included, such as colour scheme and iconography. Through creating this infographic I have learnt about the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. I have also learnt how to create an infographic which is interesting and eye catching to read.

I have also been introduced to Genre Analysis, on Monday I watched Monsters (2010). Throughout watching the film I took notes about the film and its genre. I firstly identified the genre, then looked into whether the genre conveys the 'norms' of the genre (if the film includes codes and conventions of the genre). The other part to this genre analysis was defining the audience for the film and what existing films they would like. Within the genre analysis aspects such as production element (budget and technical aspects).

For the second part of this unit I will be choosing 2 films by the same director and I will be idetitifying five common elements. This shows the relation between the 2 films in terms of the director. I will then choose one of these films to carry out a Genre Analysis and I will then carry out a Narrative Analysis on the same film.

Week 3: Infographic Development

I have continued to create my infographic within Photoshop. In my previous post I mentioned that within a group discussion I got feedback on how I could improve my infographic. One of the improvements was to use a blood splatter instead of a circle within my infographic. I have responded to this and added a blood splatter for information and images to be placed inside. In terms of the Thriller genre, the effect of the blood splatter suggests the genre more clearly than a simple circle. I have started creating the infographic and I will add the different contents into the infographic. Now that I have a basic structure of the infographic I can continue completing it.
The way in which I have been able to create an infographic for the genre of thriller, is by researching into the genre. I have written a document which shows my research into the Thriller genre, this document includes:

• Typography
• Images
• Themes
• Colour Schemes
• Music
• Synopsis
• Characters
• Existing Films

One main aspect which I believe is very important within the thriller genre is the music. I have researched into this and I have learnt what the music is like, the instruments they use and the pace of the music. I listened to some famous thriller soundtracks including:

• The Sixth Sense
• Jaws
• Sin City
• The Others
• Black Swan

All of these films included instrumental music, mainly the string instruments. This could be because it adds to the suspense of the film with the instruments such as the Violin.

These are also the different content which I will be representing within my infographic. I have documented all of the content which I am including within my infographic, this has been adapted from my initial mind map.

Week 2: Visual Aid Continued and Group Discussion

I have completed my sketch for my infographic representing Thriller Film Genre. I have been influenced by some existing inforgraphics on the Internet and also in Empire Magazine. My sketch relates to the genre as I have included iconography of this genre, including a target and the heart monitor which represents the suspense aspect.

Influences: I have researched into existing infographics to get inspiration for my own infographic. I found a feature in Empire magazine which is similar to the layout I wanted to create for my infographic. This was a mind map documenting the deaths within horror films, which included a timeline from the within the movie. I wanted to create simple, but effective and eye catching, so I have decided to create an eye catching mind map.

Part of the Visual Mind Map (infographic)
documenting death in the Final Destination movies within Empire Magazine.
This is similar to the layout of my infographic.

Fonts: I have also researched into the fonts related to thriller films. From researching into these fonts I have found out what typography is used within Thriller films. Shown below are two different types of fonts from thriller films. The Black Swan font is bold but also elegant, which suggests the meaning of the title as swans are elegant. The name of the film contrasts with the colours, but by making the font tall and elegant ties in with the film itself. The Sixth Sense title is very different to the Black Swan title. The Sixth Sense as a creepier feel to the font, it is almost childlike, which could link in with the characters and synopsis of the film. From my research I have gained the knowledge that typography for thriller films does depend on the film and concept, as this reflects the films theme and genre.

Existing Thriller Fonts

My Final Fonts: From researching into existing fonts I have decided on a font which I believe reflects Thriller. I have decided to use the font below from dafont.com as the distressed look suggests thriller and compared to existing thriller fonts it is similar.

Thriller Font: dafont.com

Group Discussion:
We had a group discussion today about our ideas for our infographics. We shared our ideas and got feedback from each other about our initial idea for our infographic. I was unsure about parts of my sketch and idea and I was able to be reassured by getting feedback on my idea. The aspects which I was unsure about was the shapes I would be using. I believed that there were too many circles within my sketch and from feedback I gained the idea of using blood splatters. I would place text or images inside this icon which would make the infographic interesting and eye catching. The blood splatters are also an icon within thriller movies, which links in well with the genre.

Blood Splatter which I could use within my
 infographic to place information.

My Sketch for my Thriller Infographic.
From feedback I have replaced the circles with blood splatters.

Week 2: Visual Aid for Thriller Genre

I have been continuing and developing my visual aid mind map today. I have expanded on my notes made in yesterdays lesson in relation to the aspects of a Thriller Film Genre. I have started to created my infographic visual aid representing the different aspects within the genre, this included:

• Synopsis
• Characters
• Themes
• Music
• Thriller Films (Timeline)
• Thriller Stars
• Iconography

I have planned out my visual aid and I intend to create a simple, but effective Infographic. I have found a couple of infographics which inspired my final idea. My idea looks like a inforgraphic mind map, I have planned out the title 'Thriller' in the centre and branching off of this is the points listed above. The way in which I have made this an interesting infographic is by placing a timeline through the middle of the page with some Thriller Film titles. This breaks the page up and makes it interesting to read. In relation to Thriller, I have used the 'heart monitor' line to connect the different features from the middle and also from each other. Within the information I am including relevant images to the genre of Thriller. I have decided that the colour scheme of red and black will work best within my visual aid, this is because these are colours associated with thriller films.
I will be creating this visual aid in Photoshop, by using advanced techniques, including blending and vector images.
The image below shows my mind map of the different contents included within my visual aid.

Thriller Initial Mind Map

Week 2: Genres

Introduction to Genre
In today’s lesson I was introduced to what Genre is. A genre is a ‘type’, it categorising certain codes and conventions which will appeal to a certain audience. Producers are able to classify their audience in terms of the content included. In terms of Film, this applies to two main film industries: Bollywood and Hollywood. These are the two main Film industries which produces the highest grossing films. Both Hollywood and Bollywood have their differences, but are two industries that make huge profit. Both produce films which appeal to a wide audience.

Hollywood:

·         Films are shown and portrayed as a ‘spectacle’ in Hollywood movies.
·         Include well known actresses and actors.
·         Viewers see the characters’ lives as lives they would like to live. This is because the characters’ lives look good on screen; they live in appealing and wonderful locations.
·         The viewer is able to escape from their life through the duration of the film.
·         The cost of creating a Hollywood movie is high.

Hollywood Logo

Bollywood:
·         Cheaper budget than Hollywood movies.
·         Bollywood films incorporate many different genres into one film these include:

-       Musical

-       Romance

-       Thriller

-       Horror
·         Duration of Bollywood movies are 3 hours on average, longer than Hollywood Movies.

Bollywood

Both of these film industries are the most well-known and profitable. Out of the two Bollywood is the most popular and profitable, this could be because their budgets are lower, as the films cost less to make.

I also learnt about the different film genres, these include:
·         Horror
·         Thriller
·         Action
·         Sci-fi
·         Fantasy
·         Biographies (true events)
·         Documentary
·         Musical
·         Gangster/Crime

These are some of the main genres within film and are what each film is classified into. These genres also determine the certificate of the film, for example, Horror films are certificated at 15 and 18’s, because of their content.

Thriller Genre
We discussed in a group the file genre Thriller. We brainstormed the different aspects and what we associate with a Thriller film, these included:
·         Codes and Conventions
·         Memorable Films
·         Film Stars
·         Iconography
·         Sub-genres
Thriller films are interesting to me as they are exciting to watch. This is because they play tricks with your mind and keep the viewer guessing throughout the film. The plots of the films are very well written and are intriguing. I chose this genre because of this reason and I like many different genres of film. I do not have a favourite genre in particular, but I do think Thriller films are the best written and have some of the best story lines within them.

From my brainstorm notes I have been asked to create a visual mind map in Photoshop. This will show my knowledge and what I associate with the Thriller Genre. I will creatively display my notes within this mind map representing ‘Thriller’.

Week 1: Introduction to Film Studies and Skills Audit

Film Studies

Today our class was introduced to the film studies part of this course. For the first lesson we were introduced to the skills audit. This is a document which shows my existing skills within the 4 stages of creating a product. From previous projects last year, I am aware of these different stages in creating a product. We were put into groups to discuss our own existing skills within these different areas, these stages include:

• Investigation: Research into subject for product, Primary and Secondary Research
• Pre-Production: Planning and Generating ideas
• Production: Creating product, bring ideas to life
• Post-Production: Evaluation and Sample Viewing

All of these are the stages and what each stage includes. I have written a skills audit, which shows what existing skills I can bring to the four stages of creating a product. My existing skills are very important when creating a product and through the skills audit I will talk about my existing skills.