UNIT 10: Film Production

Fiction Learning Aim A -

Understand Codes and
Conventions of Fictional Film
Production

BY ELLESSE CONGREVE
Format and Purpose
Introduction

Endless love is a
romance/drama film that
was published in 2014 on the
14th of February. The
Conjuring 2 is my second film
choice which is a horror and
was published in 2016 on the
13th of June.
Endless love

Endless love is a film where a young girl named Jade that

isolates herself due to the passing of her brother. The only
person who notices her is David and he falls in love with
her and its only a matter of time before she does too.
However her father who tries to control her and her
brothers life is standing in the way of anything happening
and is trying to keep them apart while their mother is
desperate to make them work because her marriage is
falling apart as he is having an affair. The point in the story
is to see if they will drift apart or if true love really is worth
fighting for.
Chosen scene link: https://youtu.be/zD8BNRk4pgw
The Conjuring 2

The Conjuring 2 is a sequel from The Conjuring is where

paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren investigate
some strange occurrences in the Hodgson family home. Janet
is one of the children that is seen sleepwalking and having
conversation with a dead man. He is trying to take over her
body to get back in the mortal world and possesses the house
and the family. He make inanimate objects real such as the
Crooked Man from a childs toy and rhyme to haunt the family.
The paranormal investigators then extract all of the demons
and the family go back to normal, the point in the story is that
will the paranormal take over or will they regain normality.
Chosen scene link: https://youtu.be/EpjIl6dL8cc
My reasons

My reasons for choosing these films are that they

contrast completely as a romance film is full of
happiness and drama and brightness and a
horror is full of fear and sadness and darkness. I
have also chosen these particular films as they
define the genres so well and are stereotypical
films that contain all of the expected and fulfil the
expectations of the audience.
Endless Love Writer/director

Endless Love was written by Shana Feste

and Joshua Safran and also directed by
Shana Feste who also made Country Strong
in 2010 which was also a drama and the
Greatest in 2009 which was a
romance/drama the same as Endless Love
which implies that she specialises in these
genres.
Shana Feste

Shana Feste was born on the 28th August 1976 in

California, USA. The film that she wrote called The
Greatest is based on her father who lost a son
before she was born. Her film then went on to win
the Humanitas Prize nomination. Feste earned a
master's degree in Creative Writing and
Screenwriting at the University of Texas at Austin
and then went on to study at the American Film
Institute in a Producing course and graduated in
2003.
The Conjuring 2 writer/director

The Conjuring 2 was written by Chad Hayes and

Carey W. Hayes and directed by James Wan who
also made other films such as Saw in 2004, Dead
Silence in 2007, Death Sentence in 2007, Insidious
in 2010 and The Conjuring in 2013 which are all
horrors. However he then went on to direct Fast &
Furious 7 which is an action/crime/thriller
completely out of his comfort zone in terms of
genre.
James Wan

James wan was born on the 26 February 1977 in Kuching,

Sarawak Malaysia and is Malaysian-Australian. He has
directed many horror films and has directed a few outside of
this genre. He also created the film Billy the Puppet which
was a puppet appearing in the film Saw that he directed. He
was hoping to produce budget films in the science fiction,
horror, and comedy genres. The films include Annabelle, The
Conjuring 2, Lights Out, and Annabelle: Creation and
succeeded. Before he succeeded in the mainstream film
industry, he made his first feature-length film called Stygian
with Shannon Young and this won "Best Guerrilla Film" at the
Melbourne Underground Film Festival in 2000.
Studios

Endless love was made in the Universal studio which

typically makes the big franchise films and is stereotypical
for the popular genres such as comedy, romance,
animation, horror etc. the film is typical of the genre of
films this studio makes as it is purely a romance filled film.

The Conjuring 2 was made in the Warner Bros. studio

which also typically make the big franchise popular
movies such as IT, a horror and Dunkirk a drama. It
specialises in horrors, thrillers, comedies, etc. therefore it is
stereotypical that this film was made by this studio.
Endless love budget

Endless love has a budget of $20 million due to

the fact that it is set in America which is a popular
country and also it uses a lot of props and settings
such as a fair ground, a zoo, a lake house etc.
However it was not a box office success due to
the fact that it earned a domestic gross of
$23,438,250 which is barely over its estimated
production budget of $20 million.
The Conjuring 2 budget

The conjuring 2 has a budget of $40 million which is

double the amount of Endless Love. This is due to the
fact that it had to involve inanimate objects movie
and paranormal activity meaning that a lot of money
had to go into props and also there are scenes where
animation would have had to have been used for
example, when the Crooked man became real out
of the neighbours dog. However, unlike Endless Love,
this film did extremely well when it came to the box
office budget and made $320.3 million making the
movie a worldwide success.
Running times

The running time for Endless Love was 105

minutes, this is a normal length of time for a
film.
the running time for the Conjuring 2 is 149
minutes, this is a little lengthier than Endless
love which may be why the budget was
more.
Format film fiction
Endless love

Endless love is a stand alone film that

has no sequel nor is expected to. The
ending is not set up to continue as it
has a happily ever after ending and
therefore it is not part of a franchise
nor sequel. It is a one off.
The Conjuring 2

This is a sequel, one of three, to the

movie The Conjuring. Each movie
shows a different demon
possessing a different person and
family and shows the different
outcomes and plots.
Endless love audience

This film targets people from the age

of 12 to 40+. It mainly targets females
however it can also target men as it is
funny and adventurous and intriguing.
It does not specify and sexuality. It
targets a mainstream audience.
The Conjuring 2 audience

This film targets people between

the ages of 15 40+ and targets
and gender. It again does not
specify a sexuality and is a
mainstream audience film.
Comparison
Narrative
Endless love extract

In this extract from Endless love, David, the main character in love with the
girl, is running through the airport to meet, Jade because her father sent her
away to University and forbid them from being together and put a restraining
order on him from being within 50 yards of her. Her father has just realised that
David is going to meet Jade and so he is trying to stop him however he gets
stopped by security and David manages to meet Jade and they realise they
are still in love and arrange to run away together that night. Jade then acts
as though she has not seen David and meets her father who believes that
David did not find her. This scene is important is it is stereotypical romance as
he is running through the airport, the 2 shots of them to show the relationship
also the dramatic scenery of it being busy and the hope in the audience that
he finds her. It sums up true love, drama, emotion etc. which is what a
romance is all about. This extract interested me
The Conjuring 2 extract

The extract I have chosen from The Conjuring 2 is a scene where you see the
young girl, Janet, posses by the demon and the demon is about to make her
jump out of the window when Ed, one of the paranormal investigators,
catches her from falling however he almost falls out of the window too. Then
Loraine, Eds wife who is also a paranormal investigator, enters the room and
sees him and as she walks towards to window she sees Valik, the demon,
standing in the corner and uses paranormal activity to force Loraine away
and push her against the wall. Lorain then uses the demons name to
condemn her back to hell and saves Ed and Janet. Again my reason for
choosing this is because it is very stereotypical to a horror genre. It has the
protagonist, the antagonist, the horror, the fear and also the basic props in a
demonic horror film, for example, religious crosses. The lighting is dark, in all
the characters, fear is shown and it is successful to the audiences
expectations.
Narrative telling

The narrative of The Conjuring 2 is told

through action and the narrative of
Endless love is also told through action.
This similarity shows that action is more
affective for the audience.
Endless love narrative structures.

The protagonist in this film is David, he is trying to do right

by the mans daughter however the man acts as an
antagonist and forbids them being together and tries to
stand in the way. He also acts as the antagonist by having
an affair. Endless love is a closed narrative. It ends with the
2 main characters laying on the beach happy and in love.
The narrative is also linear. Everything happens in
chronological order. It is a single-strand narrative and
does not have any spin-offs, sequels etc. finally, this film is
a realist narrative and tells the story of real life events that
could happen, for example, Hugh the father, having an
affair, David and Jade falling in love etc.
The Conjuring 2 narrative structure

The Conjuring 2 is a closed narrative as the ending scene

shows Loraine saving Ed and Janet and sending the
demon back to hell. It is also shown in a linear sequence,
all events are chronological. This shows similarities
between the films as they are both displayed as closed
narratives and linear sequences however they show a
difference as this film is an anti-realist narrative as it
displays paranormal activity and would not happen in real
life. Another difference is also shown as this film is a multi-
strand and displays 2 narratives at once, one following the
Hodgson family and the other showing the events
occurring in Ed and Loraine's life at the same time.
Endless love narrative theory

Endless love follows the theory of Todorov. This is because

there is an equilibrium where there is no issue with Jade
and David being together and then her father tries to
prevent them from being together which is disruption of
the equilibrium. Then David sees that her father is trying to
keep them apart, the recognition of the disruption and so
he does everything he can to stay with her and prove
Hugh wrong. This is then the attempt to repair the
damage and once he saves Hughs life in a fire Hugh
decides that its time to build bridges and give them
permission to be together which allows a new equilibrium.
The Conjuring 2 theory

The Conjuring 2 also follows the Todorov theory due to the

fact that the family are normal and have no issue and
then they find that strange things keep occurring in the
house within the little girl. They then contact paranormal
investigators, Ed and Loraine. They try to speak to the
demon and eventually Loraine condemns the demon
back to hell by having dominion over her by knowing her
name. this then allowed the family to go back to normal
and live their original lives.
Endless love stereotypes

David from Endless love is a stereotypical protagonist who has featured in a

wide variety of film. His appearance is made to me dominant but also kind
and optimistic. He wears light clothing, baggy t-shirts and jeans to make him
seem approachable and relaxed. He is presented with tools at work which
make him seem handy. Hugh is a stereotypical antagonist who is also
pessimistic and has also featured in many films. In this film he wears suits,
blazers and dark clothing which gives him a dominant look however this is not
in a positive way this is to make him look intimidating. He is presented with a
baseball bat at one point which makes him seem as though he is aggressive.
Jade is not a stereotypical actor as she has not featured in many popular
films and so this makes her seem innocent. She is presented in light summery
clothing, petite and girly which makes her seem as though she is innocent,
bubbly and funny however she is miserable in her dads company and is only
happy with David. She is only ever presented with soft objects for example a
phone or a jacket and she is never place around dangerous objects.
The Conjuring 2 stereotypes

Ed and Lorain are stereotypically actors that work together as

protagonists and usually act in horrors with demons. Their
appearances are made kind and loving. They wear light
clothing to make them look approachable. the child Janet is
nor a familiar actor however she is presented to look strange
and dangerous. Valak is played by Bonnie Aarons whom
does not normally play this type of character however since
playing this character she has been offered her own film
based on the character. The makeup for this character is dark
eyes and lips with a pale face to show a demonic look. This
character is scary and not approachable and is the
antagonist.
Genre
Endless love Genre

Endless love is a Romance/Drama film. You

can tell this by the way it is presented for
example, warm colouring and peaceful
music. You can also tell by the story line. This
a hybrid genre. Due to the fact that it is
both romance and drama. It caters to
audience expectations by showing exactly
what the audience would be expecting, a
happy ending.
The Conjuring 2 genre

The Conjuring 2 is a horror film. This is made

clear by the dark lighting and settings in
every scene. You can also tell by the music
displayed in the background. This is neither
hybrid or sub-genre. Due to the fact that it is
only categorised as a horror. It fulfils the
audiences expectations by having jump
scares and displaying everything expected.
Endless love camera work

There are many 2 shots to show relationships between people in

Endless love. There are also many long shots and extreme long shots
to show the setting and scenery. The lighting is made warmer and
lighter to create a sense of love and peace. MES is used productively
the characters all wear clothing to show their personalities. The actors
are all stereotypical antagonists/ protagonists. The makeup is light but
defines personalities also, when Hugh is punched by David the
makeup is extremely detailed and is realistic. The props are used
productively to give affect to many scenes such as the garage scene
when David is working, he has many props around him to make him
seem intelligent. Sound is used effectively and many songs are put
over scenes where it should be peaceful or calm to give yet another
loving affect. All of these points make the narrative stereotypical of
the genre.
 The Conjuring 2 camera work

There are many long shots to see the paranormal activity happening
in the scene. There are also many close ups to see facial expressions
when people have experienced something or seen something
paranormal. The lighting is made dark and the sound is made louder
when people shout or cry. The costumes that the characters wear
are all dark and the costumes the demons wear are always dirty or
dark. The actors are stereotypical protagonists and they are
displayed well in this film. The makeup in this film is done with detail
as Valak the demon is not recognisable as Bonnie Aarons, the
actress who plays her. The sound is done by putting backing tracks
over it create a sense of tension in the atmosphere and it is done at
a high volume to build expectations from the audience and drama.
Technical analysis
Three shot analysis

This is a 2 shot that shows a close relationship between

David and Jade. There is light colouring in the
background to show a peaceful connotation. This shot
shows a zoom which gives a sense of intensity. In this
scene there is clean cut editing between shots and you
can tell that it is done by hand held camera due to the
movement. They are wearing light baggy clothing to
make them seem approachable and friendly. The kind of
dark and shady making it seem as though they are
secluded in their own world. The actors seem as though
they are genuinely in love. The jades make up is light and
pretty showing her innocence. There are flowers as props
making it seem loving.
Three shot analysis

This is another mid shot however it is of David after her has seen
jade. This shows his emotions of happiness due to the fact they
have planned to go against her father and be together. There is
a zoom in this show which allows us to connect with the
character and he is wearing dark colours to show his dominance
however is surrounded by light colours to show peace. The
lighting is bright around the outside and around him it is darker
which suggests that he is being secretive however it is lighter on
his face as he is smiling and showing happiness. The actor is
portraying every emotion that the character would be feeling in
extreme detail and is doing it well which allows the audience to
connect with the character well. There is a Christmas tree in the
background which will make the viewers think festively which will
make them think of happiness also. The airport setting is key as it
is powerful and romantic and is usually an emotional place to
greet or wave off loved ones which is what he is doing.
Three shot analysis

This is a mid shot to show Jades emotion and the

atmosphere she is surrounded by. She is wearing red
which may connote fear or upset due to the fact at
this point she is unhappy without David and under
the control of her father. There is a zoom in to her
face showing intensity of how she is feeling and this is
also a still shot to show her agitation of being
prevented from seeing him. There is also a quick cut
between this and the shot of her walking up to the
bollards where David is waiting. Her clothing is tight
and flows at the same time showing her feminine
side. It is as though she has a spot light on her making
her the centre of attention. The actor shows fear or
uncomfort very well and her makeup is light.
Three shot analysis

In this shot it is an extreme close up that shows the fear in

the demon. The lighting is dark which connotes danger or
enclosure. She is also wearing black which connotes death.
This shot is also a quick cut between a shot of Ed and Janet
and this demon which is meant to create a jump scare to
fulfil the audiences expectations. The costume is key as it is
supposed to be a nun which are religious people and they
are suppose to represent innocence and purity however this
demon does exactly the opposite. The lighting is dark and
only has bright light on her face to display how scary she
looks and give the audience the fear they are looking for.
The actor does a good job of making the character seem
scary and fulfilling the fact that the character is a demon
and the make up is also good as you cannot see that it is
actually an stress and you cannot see the features of the
actress all you can see is the demons features. the setting is
also key as it is in a bedroom which is an enclosed place
which makes them feel as though they are trapped as the
space is so small and the demons powers and the demon
are so big.
Three shot analysis

This is a long shot to show Janet possessed in the setting. It zooms to

her falling out the window and then shows a quick cut to Ed who
runs towards the window to catch her before she falls. She is
presented in dark clothing which shows her possession and shows
that she is out of character due to the demon controlling her body
from the inside. The lighting is dark around the outside and then
there is a ray of light beaming towards the main character to show
that she is the main attraction and to draw you towards her obscure
actions. The actor does well to act as though she is possessed by a
demon. She is a young actor and so for her to make a clear
understanding of what is happening may be hard however she does
a good job and allows the audience to connect to her character.
The makeup she has is a pale face and some cuts after she shatters
the windows with pure paranormal ability. The detail put in is
extreme so that it gives an affect of how she is feeling. There are
many props placed around the room such as a cross hanging in the
foreground in the centre to show that they are trying to condemn
the demon back to hell and the demon Valak is slightly shown to the
right of the shot in the centre ground. A toy box is shown in the
background to resemble her innocence that she still has.
Three shot analysis

This is a two shot showing the moment where Ed saves

Janet's life after the demon is trying to make her
commit suicide. Is shows a close relationship between
them and shows that he cares for her and doesnt
wish to see her hurt and also does not want the
demon to win by putting her life at risk. There is dark
lighting to show a sense of fear and danger. Shortly
before this shot is taken the camera zooms out to
show the spike under the window and how far of a
drop there is to the floor and also shows that there is a
panic that something will go wrong. The actors do a
good job of portraying the fact that this is such a
dangerous scary scene and anything could go wrong
for the characters. Ed is seen top be sweating and he
is panicking about saving her and is also fearing the
demon having too much control. The props are the
curtain which shows an unsecure ability to save Ed
from falling. And a spike which shows danger.
Sound

In the scene I have chosen an endless love original piece

is played which is peaceful and sets the mood of love
and sweetness and as a viewer when I hear this song is
makes me think of happiness and a stereotypical
romance film. It is a sound track that is played to
introduce the film and introduce jade at the start as
David is doing a voice over about how he feels about
her.
Soundtrack: https://youtu.be/jC4kUwQiTHA