Target Audience

Primary Target Audience
- 18-25
- People who like Thriller films
- Male and Female

Secondary Target Audience
- 18 and Under (Younger Audience)
- 25 and Over (Older Audience)

Thanks to our films female protagonist and the gory violence, the film will attract both male and female audiences for different reasons. 'Rupture' is rated 18 because of its violence but aims to attract younger audiences who are willing to pretend to be older than they really are. This all depends of the way the film is marketed e.g. word of mouth, advertising etc. It also depends on whether 'Rupture' is shown in a huge multiplex or in an independent arts cinema [the latter having a lot less publicity].

OUR FILM WOULD NOT APPEAL TO...
- People who don't violence in films
- The Elderly
- Children
- People who have phobia's of certain situations e.g. being tied up.

Compare & Contrast

'Rupture' vs. 'Casino Royale'

The torture scene in 'Casino Royale' has a lot of similarities with our opening sequence. They both involved a battered man sitting, tied up on a chair in the middle of a dark (possible underground) room with dripping water. Both sequences show the torturer carrying a weapon which they are going to farm the man sitting in the chair with. The torturer is free to move however they want, circling the chair in both films and get really close to the man in the chair as they know there's nothing they can do. It is also obvious that in both sequences, the torturer is throughly enjoying themselves. In both sequences, the man in the chair is screaming.

However, in 'Rupture' the torturer is a young woman whereas in 'Casino Royale' this role is played by a man. In 'Rupture' the man in the chair is battered but still fully clothed but in 'Casino Royale' he is topless. In 'Rupture' the man is moaning whereas in 'Casino Royale' the man is screaming in pain. the torture in 'Rupture' is down to revenge but in 'Casino Royale' , it all comes down to money.



(The torture scene discussed comes at 03:20)

Some Key Thriller Characteristics Displayed In Our Opening Sequence

Characters
Femme fatal, The Final Girl??

Themes
Vulnerability, Torture, Criminal Activity, Murder, Entrapment, Revenge

Iconography
Gun, Knife, Underground room, Derelict Building, Water

Events/Sounds/Actions
Someone who's trapped, Screaming, Basement location, Someone who's tied up, Stabbing

Techniques Achieved (incomplete)

Shooting
180 Degree, 30 degree (no), Match on action, Shot-Reverse Shot, Close ups etc

Editing
Transitions, Continuity, Condensed time, cross cutting etc

Sound
Non-diegetic/ diegetic

Applying Theory to 'Rupture'

Levi-Strauss: Binary Opposites

This theory revolves around the idea that elements in a story are paired and are opposite. I can identify a few examples of this in my sequence 'Rupture' such as:

• Male vs. Female
• Good vs. Evil
  
• Freedom vs. Entrapment
• Justice vs. Injustice
• Cleanliness vs. Grubbyness

Barthes: Action & Enigma Codes

Barthes theory claims that every film is dependant on Enigma codes and Action Codes. Enigma codes raise questions and Action codes refer to actions leading to other actions creating suspense in the audience.

Action Codes:
-Showing only the boots walking
-The laying out of the tools
-Taking the gun out of the bag (But he does not get shot. goes against Barthes theory)
-Man being held hostage
-The fade to black at the end of the sequence

Enigma Codes:
-Why does she fire a blank instead of a real bullet?
-Why is the man tied up with gaffer tape over his mouth?
-Where are they located?
-What tool will she pick?
-Why is she carrying so many tools in her bag?
-Why did she select that particular tool over the others?
-What has the man done to be killed?

Todorov: Narrative Structure

We cannot really apply Todorov's theory to our sequence as we have only made the opening sequence and his theory refers to the story establishing a beginning state of equilibrium, then resorting a state of disequilibrium and ending with the production of a new equilibrium by the means of the main characters actions [usually]. Our sequence is supposed to be the end of the story meaning it actually shows the production of the new equilibrium through the gilrs killing of the man who was partly responsible for the disequilibrium.

Propp: Character Types

Propp identified eight character types common to stories. I have identified 3 of these characters in my opening sequence although the rest of the film may reveal otherwise.

The Villain
This appears to be the girl in our opening sequence as she is the one holding the man hostage, playing with him and killing him. However, the rest of the film shows that she is only seeking revenge.

The False Hero
In my sequence, this role is played by the male character. The audience emphaise with his character as he is the first person we see and we feel sorry for him. However, the rest of the film will show him to be a member of the gang that raped and murdered the girl's sister.

The Hero
the rest of the film will show the girl to also play the role of the hero as she is bringing justice and avenging her sisters death.

'Rupture'

Personal Evaluation

I believe the project was a success as we all stuck to deadlines, resolved disagreements with compromise and developed skills. I learnt a lot technically (e.g. I can now use Adobe Premier and After FX to a much higher standard than before) but also how important it is to be organised and to work together when working in a group.

Due to our group dynamics, there were no major disagreements and if anyone has an issue, we said it. I now feel a lot more confident with my technical ability due to my individual editing sessions which gave me a chance to experiment.

My main criticism of myself in this project is that if there were conflicting ideas within the group, I found it difficult to back down. however, we worked around the groups strong personalities by compromising or by doing both ideas, seeing how it looked and then deciding as a group.