Case Study - I Am Legend

Institution
Name: I Am Legend
Director: Francis Lawrence
Producers: Akiva Goldsman, David Heyman, James Lassiter, Neal H. Moritz, Tracy Torme
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date:
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Certificate: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.
Country where made: United States, Australia
Budget: $150,000,000
Box office returns: Gross revenue was $585,349,010
Awards: 7 wins & 17 nominations
Running Time: 101 minutes.



I Am Legend is based on the novel, also called "I Am Legend", written by Richard Matheson in 1957. Similarly to The Dark Knight and Four Brothers, I Am Legend is also packed full with action. This makes the film very exciting and there are only few scenes throughout the film that allow the audience to catch their breath back. Its genres consist of Sci-Fi which is indicated through the appearance of Alien-like creatures. Other genres that are made apparent later on it the film is the genre horror, as their are some frightening scenes including monsters you would expect to see in horror films and also the frequent use of shadow and darkness, which is a typical convention for horror films. The user rating on IMDB is 7.1/10, which seems to be a good score, suggesting that the film pleased the majority of people. It has scored as highly as The Dark Knight, but exceeds the score of the score of The Number 23 and only just tops Four Brothers. One user of IMDB comments "Outstanding, disturbingly well crafted film." This suggests that the film is very appealing to the audience, and that it must have really impressed the user as he states that it was "Outstanding". Alternately, another uses states "Legendarily Lame Science Fiction Remake!!!". This suggests that the film does not appeal to everyone and also that it is similar to other Sci-Fi films.

Technology
With technology ever changing and evolving with time, popularity of films have increased dramatically, mainly down to advertising. There are many ways in which the film can advertise including: banners on the internet, trailers on the tv and cinema, film posters in bus shelters and on buses, websites. As there is more technology when it comes to advertising, the general public's knowledge of the film will be increased. This may make more people come to watch the film in the cinema or purchase the dvd. New technology may have also increased audiences access of the film. For example, there are many ways in which people can watch films now days including: cinema, dvd, tv, ipod/itunes, streaming online (illegal). As there is easier access to watch films, and alternative methods to watch films, there will be an increase in accessibility.

4)Codes/forms and Conventions of the thriller genre:
The opening sequence is of news channel that is interviewing a Doctor about a new vaccine. Straight away, the audience gets the impression that this interview is very significant and important as it is featuring on the news. The effect of setting a theme through the use a news broadcast is often quite typical to feature in thriller films as it allows the audience to understand the situation and also to understand how important it is as it is making news broadcasts.
The first shot we see is of a deselect city, which is shown by and upwards tilt. Straight away, you get an impression of isolation which is a typical convention of thriller films. The sounds of flies could represent that that area is dead as flies feed of dead things. The sound of sea gulls also help to set the location as it could represent that the city is close to a sea, or that they are looking for food. There is no backing music, just sounds of wildlife and wind which really help to focus the audiences attention on the setting, as well as reinforcing the theme of isolation as no human life is being made apparent.
The opening sequence of I Am Legend is very similar to "No Country For Old Men", which is another thriller film that also starts with isolated scenes. This is the effect that my group have aimed to capture in our thriller opening sequence as it is very generic but very effective and powerful.
The next few shots also show parts of the city isolated city. This gives the audience a bigger idea of what has happened and where the location is. The fact that their is new human life in the city comes across as very odd and makes the audience think that there is something wrong.
The next clip we see is of a car speeding through the streets of the city. This is shown by the use of a helicopter effect which suggests that it could be a police helicopter, similar to the one off "The Dark Knight". We then see the main character who is the driver of the vehicle and who is holding a gun. The use of a gun makes the audience think that something is not right and also reinforces themes of danger and violence, similar to that off "Four Brothers", which is another generic feature of the thriller genre.