Donnie Darko Symbolism

In Donnie Darko the bunny suited person symbolises horror. This is because a person in a scary looking bunny costume is unnatural and not very normal. This gives the element of horror because these sort of scary suited people are usually in horror films. The characteristics of the suit that suggest it is scary are the dark grey colour and the strange scary mask.

The weird source of energy that comes out of people’s body symbolises that it may be related to the sci-fi genre. This is because an energy source coming out of somebody’s body is supernatural and not something that normally happens.

 When Donnie holds an axe over his shoulder this might symbolise that Donnie is a bad person because he has maybe done something or is going to do something bad. This is symbolised as bad because an axe is a dangerous weapon that people may use to do some serious damage. This scene might also symbolise Donnie is a bad person because he has also got a stern and evil expression on his face which suggests he may be bad.

Logo picture idea

Logo ideas

We all decided to call our production studios "Inner City Studios". So then we thought of a few different logo ideas and here they are:

Donnie Darko front cover

The front cover to the Donnie Darko film shows a clear indication that the film is a Thriller. This is because it has all the different features that a Thriller film has. For example the front cover is very dark and mysterious. This adds a dramatic effect. The only light features on the front cover is the title writting and a sort of source of energy coming out of the main character. This makes the audience wonder what this energy thing is, so it might encourage people to go and see the film. The features that are light are the main features and the most important that they want the audience to see. The main character is also carrying an axe over his shoulder which suggests that he might be doing or have done something bad as an axe is a dangerous weapon. The poster does not have to much detail involved in it so this makes it simple and effective. The cover has got an element of the unnatural about it which will make others want to see the film. The font on the front cover is also very effective as it is bold and stands out for all to see clearly.

Donnie Darko analysis

Donnie Darko is a thriller film which uses a lot of dark physiological effects to make the film interesting. In the film, a kid called Donnie Darko talks to an imaginary friend called Frank. This is a very weird moment as Frank is in a scary rabbit costume and so they use dramatic and spooky music to suit the scene. The lighting is also very dark when Donnie is talking to Frank. This adds to the tension of the conversation. The story of the film is sometimes hard to follow but by the end of the film you have a greater understanding of what the film was about. The music that is chosen suites the film very well as it fits the dramatic tension attached to the film. An example of this would be the song “Mad world” at the end of the film which suites the scene where Donnie has to let himself die in order to save others. Overall the film has a very interesting plot but it does not share this with you well until the end of the film where you truly understand what has happened.

mindmap of ideas for film company

The happening poster analysis

This poster is from the film “The Happening”. This is to encourage people to go and watch the film. The poster is quite dark and compact. This is shown as there is only the three of them in the middle of the road. It also looks like the end of the street is narrowing to show an unnatural scene unfolding. There is also little light in the picture suggesting that these are dark times for the three people. Paper is also flying around the street suggesting that the city is pretty much deserted. The poster suggests that there are dark forces at work seeing as the people are all holding each other. The poster also shows desperation between the people as they are on the floor alone and scared. The poster influences the viewer to try and find out what has happened to result in this. This encourages the viewer to go and see the film.

BBFC Guidlines

U=suitable for all. This rating should be for films that have a positive morale with no references to violence or horror.

Discrimination

No discriminatory language or behaviour unless

clearly disapproved of.

Drugs

No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse unless

they are infrequent and innocuous, or there is a clear

educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable

for young children.

Horror

Scary sequences should be mild, brief and unlikely to

cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome

should be reassuring.

Imitable behaviour

No potentially dangerous behaviour which young

children are likely to copy. No emphasis on realistic

or easily accessible weapons.

Language

Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.

Nudity

Occasional natural nudity, with no sexual context.

Sex

Mild sexual behaviour (for example, kissing) and

references only (for example, to ‘making love’).

Theme

While problematic themes may be present, their

treatment must be sensitive and appropriate for

young children.

Violence

Mild violence only. Occasional mild threat or

menace only

PG=General viewing but some scenes may be not suitable for young children.

 Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to

be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of or in an

educational or historical context. Discrimination by

a character with which children can readily identify

is unlikely to be acceptable.

Drugs

References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be

innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.

Horror

Frightening sequences should not be prolonged or

intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.

Imitable behaviour

No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which

young children are likely to copy. No glamorisation

of realistic or easily accessible weapons.

Language

Mild bad language only.

Nudity

Natural nudity, with no sexual context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be implied, but should be

discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and

innuendo only.

Theme

Where more serious issues are featured (for example,

domestic violence) nothing in their treatment should

condone unacceptable behaviour.

Violence

Moderate violence, without detail, may be allowed,

if justified by its context (for example, history,

comedy or fantasy).

12A/12=Suitable for people aged 12 and over

Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be

endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive

discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely

to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

Drugs

Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should

not be glamorised or give instructional detail.

Horror

Moderate physical and psychological threat may be

permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not

frequent or sustained.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and

self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be

copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible

weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong

language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent.

Nudity

Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief

and discreet.

Sex

Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed.

Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for

young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely

to be acceptable.

Theme

Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must

be suitable for young teenagers.

Violence

Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on

detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood,

but occasional gory moments may be permitted if

justified by the context.

Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and

discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual

justification.

15=Suitable for only 15 and over people

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory

language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not

promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily

accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example,

aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic

or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and

self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be

copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example,

‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be

acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated

use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without

strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a

non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail.

There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour,

but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable

unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is

sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is

appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction

of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to

be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also

unlikely to be acceptable.

There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence

but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and

have a strong contextual justification.

18=Suitable only for adults

In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC’s public

consultations and The Human Rights Act 1998, at ‘18’ the

BBFC’s guideline concerns will not normally override

the principle that adults should be free to choose their

own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the

following areas:

• where the material is in breach of the criminal law,

or has been created through the commission of a

criminal offence

• where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to

risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour,

to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of

violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use,

which may cause harm to public health or morals.

This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised

violence which might, for example, eroticise or

endorse sexual assault

• where there are more explicit images of sexual

activity which cannot be justified by context. Such

images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in

‘sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined

to that category.

In the case of video works (including video games),

which may be more accessible to younger viewers,

intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.

Sex education at ‘18’

Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and

educate in matters such as human sexuality, safer

sex and health, explicit images of sexual activity may

be permitted.

Sex works at ‘18’

Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual

arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing only material

which may be simulated are generally passed ‘18’. Sex

works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish

material, sexually explicit animated images, or other

very strong sexual images will be confined to the ‘R18’

category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work

at ‘R18’ is also unacceptable in a sex work at ‘18’.

R18=to be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years.

The following content is not acceptable:

• any material which is in breach of the criminal law,

including material judged to be obscene under the

current interpretation of the Obscene Publications

Act 1959

• material (including dialogue) likely to encourage an

interest in sexually abusive activity (for example,

paedophilia, incest or rape) which may include adults

role-playing as non-adults

• the portrayal of any sexual activity which involves

lack of consent (whether real or simulated). Any form

of physical restraint which prevents participants from

indicating a withdrawal of consent

• the infliction of pain or acts which may cause lasting

physical harm, whether real or (in a sexual context)

simulated. Some allowance may be made for

moderate, non-abusive, consensual activity

• penetration by any object associated with violence

or likely to cause physical harm

• any sexual threats, humiliation or abuse which does

not form part of a clearly consenting role-playing

game. Strong physical or verbal abuse, even if

consensual, is unlikely to be acceptable.

These Guidelines will be applied to the same

standard regardless of sexual orientation

My Thriller Institution

The institution I have chosen is Paramount Pictures. This is because they have a vast history in the film business producing lots of great films since 1912 to the present date. I also chose this company because they produce a lot of good and well constructed thrillers that would suite mine perfectly. These include Paranormal activity, Shutter Island, Watchmen, Friday the 13th and much more. This means that this company will have the knowledge and understanding of what is expected in a Thriller movie. This institution would hopefully be interested in our Thriller because it is new and unique to other Thriller's. I think they would really like the gender reversall idea as it will keep the audience gripped and wanting to see more if our Thriller was a full lengh movie.

The BBFC

The British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/ DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984.The British Board of Film Censors was set up in 1912 by the film industry as an independent body to bring a degree of uniformity to the classification of film nationally. The BBFC have the power to ban any film that is not appropriate to the guideline's set. To help clarify which films are appropriate for each person, a certificate rating is given so that people will not be scared or disturbed by something out of their age category. These certificates are as follows:

Pre-lim planning photos

Memento analysis

Memento is a very mysterious and unconventional film. This is shown as the film is shown in non linear which means that the audience have to think a bit more about what is happening during the film to fully understand it. The film gets its mysterious element from the music. The music is tense and dramatic. Throughout the film there are a lot of slow ticking noises that show the suspense. These noises tend to be used when the main character Leonard is thinking about something and trying to solve the mystery which confronts him. The mystery in the film encourages the viewer to keep on watching as they want to know how the final conclusion ends. A physical mise-en-scene feature ids the photos which Leonard takes. This is because the photos he has are his only means of identification due to his condition of memory loss. This means that he can find out what has happened in the past to figure out what to do in the future. Another mise-en-scene feature is the bad guy called “Teddy” as he is Leonard’s friend due to the fact that Leonard can not remember who Teddy is. This is something that grips the audience as this is not very common in other Thriller films and encourages the viewer to see how this relationship between Teddy and Leonard unfolds. In Memento uses a lot of extreme close up shots. Most of the time these are used to show the detail of Leonard’s photographs or the expression on people’s faces. These shots are used to involve the viewer more by showing detail. Overall Memento is a good film due to its good music and gripping plot to keep the viewer interested.

Psycho images

This image is an extreme close up. The image shows some mathematic calculations which could suggest that the person writing these could be intelligent. The main focus is the writing of numbers on the note pad. You could use the rule of thirds on this image as the main focus in the shot is fairly central. On the top right hand corner of the shot you can see a small shadow but most of the shot is covered in a decent amount of light which gives the impression that the note pad is meant to be seen clearly.

 This image is a mid shot as it shows nearly half of the women and some of the house features behind her. There is little light in this scene this might show that it is late at night, especially seeing as she looks to be in a dressing gown. There is diegetic sound in this scene of her ripping up a piece of paper. This is the only noise as it helps to build suspense. After this shot the camera then uses the 180 degree rule to show the women going into the bathroom. This is done well as the camera follows her actions into the bathroom without confusing the viewer by changing the side of the women.

This shot is an extreme close up and the main focus of the shot is the shower head as it is central of the shot. This can be shown by the rule of thirds as it is in the middle with the water spraying out all over the rest of the image. This shot is also a low angle shot and this is a shot which shows the women’s perspective. Even though this is a low angle shot, the shot is probably used to make the women feel inferior as she is looking up at the shower head and that it covers the whole shot. The diegetic sound would be the shower water and the scene uses the shower head very cleverly as it keeps on switching to the shower head and the women as the tension begins to build up.

 This shot is a close up and is also the women in the shower’s view. The main focus is the women/man and the knife that she holds in her hand. This is because the knife has the most amount of light on it and the women/man is in the middle of the screen with water in the way of her face which makes you wonder who she or he is. This is done very well as the water from the shower only seems to cover the persons face and nothing else. The knife is also held at an angle so that the viewer sees the whole blade of the knife to show clearly that it is a knife and not something else. The lighting is very dull and this is a sudden change from when the women is in the shower as the whole scene is covered in light clearly showing what is happening. The dark lighting is used to cover the persons face so that the audience are kept guessing. The sound used is diegetic when the attacker pulls back the shower curtain to confront the victim. The editing techniques in this scene are very sharp and fast as they switch from the attacker and the knife to the women being attacked very quickly to add to the dramatic tension of the women feeling helpless and incapable of stopping the inevitable. This is a typical Thriller genre shot as it is dark, mysterious and dangerous.

This shot is a close up and yet again this shot shows vulnerability and desperation of the women being attacked. This shows that she does not really know what to do. This is a point of view shot from the attacker’s perspective. There is a lot of light to show what is happening to her and the light is coming from the attacker’s direction which shows that there will be light when the camera is on her and it will be dark when the camera is on the attacker. There is non-diegetic sound in this scene of her being stabbed constantly and diegetic sound of the water still running from the shower head. The rule of thirds could be used in this shot as she is the centre of attention and is in the centre of the screen.

The opening of The Happening analysed

The Happening’s opening scene is very good as it builds up a lot of tension as it shows the viewer all the danger that is happening in America. The film starts with clouds in the sky submerging behind the subtitles. This gives a good effect as the music in the background which is non Diegetic goes well with the movement of the clouds. This is as the music is unnatural and strange going with the weird and fast movement of the clouds. Then after the music has finished the film then officially starts and this begins in a normal park on a normal day. Things suddenly go wrong though as people start losing their minds and this resulted to people committing suicide. This opening scene has a lot of light which lets the viewer clearly see what is going on around the park. The build up in the film is very quick. This gives the audience something to look forward to as the action starts straight away. The film is always making the audience want to see more and it keeps them pulled into it throughout the whole film. The music in the opening is a big asset to the film as it makes the scenes more dramatic and ensures that the tension is always building. The start of this film really makes the viewer want to see more.

camera shots glossary

Extreme long shot-A shot that is a long way from the point of interest. Usually used to set the scene.

Long shot-Closer than an extreme long shot but still a fair distance away to show maybe a person and the environment around him/her.

Mid shot-shows most of something for example a person and a bit of the background.

Close up-shows the face, a little background and maybe a bit of their body.

Extreme close up-shows for example just an eye, or mouth, teeth etc.

Two shot-A shot with two objects in it like for example 2 people.

Low angle shot-This gives a sense of size to the object being shown. For example a person may seem bigger if the low angle shot is applied.

High angle shot-This gives a sense of helplessness and a lack of power. For example a person could seem venerable if this shot is applied.

Tracking shot-This shot tracks the object moving through the scene to make it seem like you are with them or behind them.

Aerial shot-A shot shown from the air by perhaps a helicopter showing a wide landscape like a big city for example.

Point of view shot-This shot shows exactly what the person is seeing through their eyes.

Tilt shot-This shows a sense of scale as you could be looking at their feet and then it tilts up to show just how big they are.

Crane shot-This is a shot held high in the sky but not as high as the aerial shot. This gives a sense of size and scale.

Zoom in zoom out-Camera focuses zooming in or out on a key detail. This can be used to examine significant details.

Over the shoulder shot-This shot is framed behind a person who is looking at the subject. The shot helps to establish the position of each person.

    

The Thriller Genre

The thriller genre started in the 1920’s and ever since that date the genre has become a great success with it becoming more and more popular. Thrillers usually provide lots tension and suspense.  Thriller films include the likes of Psycho, Vertigo, Donnie Darko, Shutter Island and Memento. A person who really brought the Thriller genre to the world is a man called Alfred Hitchcock. This is because he made lots of famous Thriller films that changed the way we see films. They were so influential because they provided lots of famous scenes that keep the audience on the edge of their seats. One scene in one of his films called Psycho was something that changed the way we look at Thriller films forever. This was the shower scene which was extremely well filmed to create lots of tension that gave the perfect representation of vulnerability and suspense. In short if a film thrills then it is defined as a Thriller. Thrillers are known for its fearful excitement. Stories set in the Thriller genre are usually to do with violence, crimes and murder. The characteristics include adrenaline rushing, gritty, rousing and fast paced. The films are always designed to keep you on edge and to always keep the audience guessing all the way through the film. The first signs of the Thriller genre started in a comic called “Safety last” by Harold Lloyd in 1923. It is about an all American boy performing a daredevil stunt on the side of a skyscraper. Since 1923 though the Thriller genre has really kicked on and has produced some of the best films in the world. Below are some pictures of some well known Thriller's.