Jamie Howatson- Personal Research
Activity One - Mind Map
Activity Two - Research Task
Activity Three- Content Analysis Horror FIlm Trailers
Film Title:
Friend Request
Year of Release:
2016
Director:
Simon Verhoeven
URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDNgs0dgjj4
Shots of Victims
37
Shots of Aggressor:
9
Total Shots:
92
Graphic Content:
8 shots suggestive of graphic content
Decaying body, pool of blood with wounded girl
Sound Techniques:
Voiceover: 1:34
Foley SFX: 0:22 (mouseclicks), 1:30 (wasps/hornet buzzing)
Editing Techniques:
Horizontal Pan: 0:41
Long Take/Tracking Shot: 1:45-1:48
Jump Cuts/Quick Cuts: Used throughout trailer e.g 0:51
Camera Techniques:
Close Up: 0:25
Extreme Close Up: 0:26
Over Shoulder Shot: 0:16
Wide Shot: 0:02
High Angle Shot:
Two Shot: 0:05
Low Angle Shot: 0:50
Establishing Shot: 0:01, 0:09
Locations:
Beach (0:03)
Apartment (0:10)
College Cafeteria (0:17)
Unknown Location where girl commits suicide (0:37)
Lecture Hall (0:42)
Hospital (0:49)
Police Station/Security Room (0:57)
College Exterior (1:01)
Car Interior (1:27)
Computer Lab (1:33)
Forest at Night (1:38)
Film Title:
Would You Rather
Year of Release:
2013
Director:
David Guy Levy
URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it5XICr93wU
Shots of Victims
44
Shots of Aggressor:
17
Total Shots:
83
Graphic Content:
Bloody hands,/clothes, dead body, vulgar language ("you sick fuck")
Sound Techniques:
Ambient Music: 0:28
Foley SFX: 0:11 (door slam)
Voiceover: 0:08
Editing Techniques:
Quick Cuts: 1:06
Cuts get quicker as the characters become more panicked.
Camera Techniques:
Horizontal Panning: 1:21
Wide Shot: 0:54
Two Shot: 0:05
Over the Shoulder Shot: 0:38
Close Up Shot: 0:57
Tracking Shot: 1:08
Locations:
An Office
Inside of a car
Protagonist's home
In a Dining Room/Mansion
Underwater
Film Title:
See No Evil 2
Year of Release:
2014
Director:
Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska (The Soska Sisters)
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mNVk_k4-5g
Shots of Victims
25
Shots of Aggressor:
26
Total Shots:
88
Graphic Content:
Sexual implications, bloody clothes,
Sound Techniques:
Foley Sound: 1:18 (smash through wood)
Voiceover: 0:10
Soundtrack: 1::07
F
Editing Techniques:
Fade Outs: 0:09
Quick/jump cuts: 0:14
Shot Reverse Shot: 0:23
Camera Techniques:
Close up: 0:09
Extreme close up: 1:35
Over Shoulder Shot:
Two Shot: 0:28
Wide shot: 1:16
Tilt vertically: 1:18
Horizontal pan:
Worm’s eye view: 1:30
Handheld: 0:11
Tracking Shot: 1:22
Locations:
Morgue- Office, Porch, basement, bathroom, hallways
Film Title:
Hush
Year of Release:
2016
Director:
Mike Flanagan
URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_P8WCbhC6s
Shots of Victims
21
Shots of Aggressor:
12
Total Shots:
40
Graphic Content:
Use of weapon, implies violence.
Sound Techniques:
Silence
Ambience
Foley: 0:20 (Nature Sounds)
Soundtrack: 133
Editing Techniques:
Long Take: 0:10-:0:40
Horizontal pan
Camera Techniques:
Wide Shot: 1:36
Close Up: 1:02
PoV: 1:20
Long Shot:
Over Shoulder Shot:
Tracking Shot: 1:16
Low Angle Shot:
Worm’s Eye View: 1:43
Locations:
Forest/Woods, interior of house, roof of house, computer screen
Conclusions
Based on the data I have gained from the content analysis, I can conclude that most Horror trailers use at least 75 shots on average. All but 1 of the trailers used at least 80 shots, with Hush having half the amount at 40. This small number is a result of Hush using a long take and having a much slower paced trailer. This affects my teaser trailer I need to plan and make and leads me to believe that I have to get at least 60-80 shots for my trailer so it follows horror trailer conventions.
The longest trailer was 2 minutes and 7 seconds, while the shortest was 1 minute and 40 seconds. On average, Horror trailers tend to be at least 2 minutes long; this means that when I make my trailer I should aim for it to have a length of 2 minutes. I noticed that the pacing of each trailer always speeds up as the video progresses, with shots cutting quicker as the victim(s) panic. This builds suspense and leads to a climax; hence, when making my trailer I will increase the momentum as the video progresses and include a variety of shots.
Typically, there are always more shots of the victim(s) then there are of the aggressor. This makes the aggressor more mysterious and does not spoil/give too much away; hence I will not use an overwhelming amount of shots of the aggressor. Shots of the victims are the bread and butter of horror trailers as they spark your curiosity as to why or how they are being victimised. What this means for my trailer is that I ought to include more shots of the victim in peril than the aggressor.
The locations used in the trailers are unique to each film and do not vary, often sticking to areas within a specific location. Horror works well with challenges to normalcy, as Hush and Would You Rather are set inside a house, Friend Request is set in various houses and a University, while See No Evil 2 is set in a morgue. When planning my trailer, I will have to choose carefully where I set my location and keep it realistic.
Each trailer uses a voiceover and/or title shots to entice the viewer and briefly inform them of some plot points. This affects my teaser trailer and encourages me to use title shots/voiceovers when creating my trailer. The title shots are very brief and give small amounts of information. They are detrimental in the trailer for Hush.
Activity Five- "You're Next" Film Trailer Analysis
“You’re Next” is a Horror/Slasher film released on August 3rd 2013. It was directed by Adam Wingard and the premise is that a family is attacked while they are on their wedding anniversary getaway by a trio of animal masked killers.
Narrative Structure
The narrative structure is initially the sequence of events (beginning, middle and end). In reference to Todorov, every narrative structure follows a specific pattern: the equilibrium (beginning), the disequilibrium (middle) and the resolution (end). The equilibrium of this trailer shows a happy family gathered in the countryside revelling in normalcy such as taking photographs to capture memories and eating dinner, in essence a tight-nit family. The disequilibrium, in which the normalcy/balance is interrupted occurs when a family member is shot in the head with an arrow whilst the dinner is taking place. A sequence is shown displaying the family members running away, hiding or being attacked by the masked assailants. The resolution, (spoiler alert) in which the family would return to normalcy by killing the masked antagonists and ending the mayhem is not shown. One family member is shown holding a weapon to hint at progress towards the resolution but the last shot is of a family member hiding under a bed, peeking out and being surprised by one of the masked assailants, effectively ending the trailer on a cliff-hanger as the audience wants to know what happens to the family and how they can fight back.
Equilibrium
Disequilibrium
Possible Resolution?
Mise en Scene
To further analyse the trailer, I must look at Mise en Scene, which is divided into five areas: props, lighting, costume, non-verbal communication and setting.
Various props are used in the trailer. For example, many weapons are used; household items such as kitchen knives are shown being dropped on the floor in a panic and being held menacingly by the wife. The masked killers have access to better weapons from outside while the family are restricted to whatever is available to them in their vacation home. A trap is created where you open the door and an axe swings towards you from the ceiling; this is shown in the trailer with a close up reaction shot of a woman’s eyes. This could have been devised by the killers or the wife, this is left ambiguous. The killers use a machete, a crossbow and an axe, all of which are bigger and more effective weapons than the ones available to the family. Each animal mask has a different one, meaning they are iconic/associated with each killer.
The lighting varies throughout the trailer. Before the family are attacked, the lighting is high key within the house. The killers ambush them and the high key lighting is maintained until a shot shows the power go out. Low key lighting is maintained throughout the rest of the trailer as the family hide from and fight the killers in their home. Low key lighting is conventional for most horror films as it creates a fear of the unknown and hinders the characters and the audience’s ability to see the killer coming.
Another aspect of mise en scene is costume. The family’s costumes are generic and neat. They are all well-dressed indicating that they are wealthy; this is further highlighted by the setting, since they own a vacation home in the countryside. Their neat appearance soon becomes disorderly and untucked as they panic and try to hide and navigate their way through the house. The wife in particular becomes covered in more and more blood, indicating that she is either successful in fighting back against the attackers and is the “final girl” or she is covered in her own blood and is not as successful as we may hope. Paradoxically, all of the killers wear animal masks. This is their icon and conotes their animalistic nature, as they hunt the family like predators after stalking their prey (watching them in their home). The masked killers are all wearing dark clothing. This could represent the fact that they do not want to be seen (hence the bright masks to cover their faces) and blend into the dark. They wear hoodies to further mask their body, so they are completely covered from head to toe.
Additionally, non-verbal communication is essential to fully explore the mise en scene of the trailer. At the beginning of the trailer, the family have positive non-verbal communication as they are smiling and gesturing with one another. The non-verbal communication presented in the trailer shifts dramatically after a family member is killed with a crossbow arrow surprisingly. The family becomes agitated and aware of the danger they are in, and all display this by moving warily or in a panicked fashion. You cannot see the facial expression of the killers, making them more horrifying as you can only judge them from their body language.
Finally, the setting is in the countryside, shown in an establishing shot. To an extent, this indicates a peaceful retreat. However, this could also connote the isolation from society and help. Additionally, this compliments the animal masks that the killers use as they are in a nature-orientated setting. Another establishing shot shows the setting throughout the film: a large vacation home. Horror is notorious for taking positive imagery of normality and ruining it. The house is indicative of the family’s wealth as it is large and the inside décor is opulent. The house is perfectly normal but once broken into, this safe place becomes a cage as they are locked in with the animals in the desolate countryside. The trailer takes note of this with the title shots “THE ANIMALS WILL HUNT YOU”.
Use of Enigma:
Enigma is where a question is posed but not answered immediately. It is used to make the audience question what is presented in the trailer and entice them to watch the film to have their questions answered. The voiceover “this wasn’t a random attack” makes the audience question the killer’s motives and why they are attacking the family. The trailer poses the question of how will the family survive as they are being attacked; this is answered as shots show doors and windows being barricaded, but this is ultimately fruitless as the killers are shown to successfully get in and the question is posed again. We then see shots of the wife with various weapons, expecting her to fight back and be the “final girl”, aligning with Clover's film theory.
A door trap is shown being used as someone opens a door and an axe swings towards someone from the ceiling, followed by a close of reaction shot of someone’s surprised eyes. Trailers are often edited out of sequence so it is ambiguous as to who dies because of the trap, so the person’s eyes could be considered a red herring.
The trailer ends with a family member looking under the bed and getting surprised by a masked killer, making the audience question her fate.
Burton’s Genre Theory:
Protagonists: Protagonists are the main characters. In “You’re Next” the protagonist is the wife of the family, conforming to the classic ‘final girl’ trope. However she does not have a conventional unisex name (Sharni). She appears recurring throughout the trailer and is show brandishing weapons, indicating that she will be the final girl. There are various masked killers, wearing different animal masks – a wolf and a lamb are shown.
Stock Characters: The family member who is shot in the head with an arrow serves as a stock character to be killed off. The rest of the family are shown less than the wife, Sharni, therefore they are likely to be stock characters. One stock character is killed and displayed by the killers to taunt the family.
Stock Situations: Some stock situations are used in this trailer. For example, the victims hiding from their killers, locking doors and running away. The killers present their deceased victims on display to taunt the protagonist (“You’re Next” written in blood on the wall above the bed on which a deceased family member is sprawled out on, the man killed by the arrow is shown positioned on a sofa next to one of the killers). Shots show characters running away or getting ambushed (axe through the door, grabbed through the window)
Icons: These are props that are associated and iconic with the film, a good example is Freddy Krueger’s claw from Nightmare on Elm Street. In “You’re Next”, the animal masks would be considered icons as they are worn by all 3 masked killers, it is their distinguishing feature.
Background and Décor: The film is set in an isolated vacation home in rural Missouri (shown in the beginning of the trailer with an establishing shot). The main background throughout the trailer is the interior of the vacation home, along with some exterior views looking into the house from the windows, indicating someone is watching the family. The décor within the house is upper class and shows the family’s wealth and strength, it awaits ruin and blood once the killers break in. It high key lighting the décor looks extravagant but in low key lighting it emanates a creepy atmosphere. The sheer size of the house means that the family either hide, be chased or put up an entertaining fight, possibly involving booby traps.
Themes: I believe the main theme in this film is survival and revenge. The protagonist’s family is attacked and she takes action to protect them and slay the people who have targeted and killed her family. She is shown various times holding a weapon and having blood stains, presumably not her own, so she portrays a powerful female role (in this narrative, she has ex-military training, unbeknownst to the others). She subverts stereotypical mothers as in situations like a home invasion, the father is normally portrayed as the rugged hero who goes to great lengths for his family, but in this case it is the mother who is leading the way to resolution and a return to equilibrium. The survival theme is very obvious due to the animal imagery (the killers’ masks) which is animals that have a place in the food chain (lamb, fox, wolf).
Activity Six- Textual Analysis of "You're Next" film poster
I am mainly interested in the slasher subgenre, therefore I have chosen to analyse the film poster of “You’re Next”, which is a horror-slasher film directed by Adam Wingard.
Denotation: The poster is an edited photograph of the 3 masked killers standing in a hallway
Mise en Scene
Props: The machete connotes and reaffirms the specific sub-genre of horror film that You’re Next is: a slasher film. Slasher films typically involve a killer (or in some cases killers) who use an iconic weapon that they associate themselves with throughout the film (like Jason Voorhees and his legendary machete). The use of a machete implies explicit violence rather than a supernatural threat and clearly highlights the sub-genre, a slasher film
Lighting: The Lighting is low key and very dark. This is intentional and connotes stereotypical horror conventions, with harsh lighting to conceal the antagonists and playing on fear of the dark and the unknown. The killers on the left and right are out of focus and the only light source is coming directly behind the fox, making the fox mask in the middle the focal point of the poster. The vignette lighting is a result of the swinging lightbulb in the background, which is the only light source in the poster. Swinging, cheap lightbulbs have become a typical horror convention overtime.
Costume: Each killer is wearing an animal mask (left to right: Lamb, Fox and Tiger). The choice of using animal masks connotes the brutality and animalistic nature of the killers. This animal imagery is complimented by the word “hunt” in the tagline; it also flips the notion of men hunting animals on its head and reverses the roles. This use of animal masks could be paying homage to “The Wicker Man”, another horror film. They are wearing dark clothing so they camouflage with the darkness. The lighting makes their costumes hard to see but each animal mask is bright white and this stark contrast makes them stand out. The killers barely show any skin, keeping their identity an enigma; this is a typical convention of slasher films and maintains the appeal of mystery.
Non-Verbal Communication: Each mask conceals the killers’ facial expressions, making their identity a mystery and hard to read their non-verbal communication. The only thing I can analyse is their posture; they are all stood upright in an aggressive manner, with their fists clenched and grasping their weapons tight. This shows that they are hostile and the killers in the film.
Setting: The setting of the poster is a dark hallway, possibly a basement, with a dim light shining from a separate room. The setting is dark and gloomy which is a befitting setting for a horror film.
Film Title:
The film is titled “You’re Next”. The title is literal and connotes the idea of suggesting that you will be the next victim; it is actually used in the film, written in blood on the wall in one scene, hence its relevance. It is positioned on the bottom 1/3rd of the poster, which is a typical convention of film posters. The positioning also flows nicely with the tag line above it and together they could make a logical sentence: They will hunt you. You’re Next. It is the largest text on the poster to assert that it is the film title. Along with the rest of the text on the poster, it uses the same font, keeping it consistent. A medium sized sans-serif font is used; the shiny steel grey colour and the sharp edges make the font look sharp, connoting imagery of a knife. Furthermore, there is blood splattered across the title to exacerbate the horror/slasher theme.
Tag Line: The tag line is “THEY WILL HUNT YOU”. There is nothing metaphorical or witty about this tagline, it is literal and immediately gives you a basic premise of the film: masked killers will hunt victims in the film, indicating that this is indeed a horror/slasher film. The notion of it being a horror film is further connoted through the blood that is splattered across the tagline, since horror & slasher films commonly involve blood being spilled in a violent manner. The tagline is positioned on the top line of the poster in a smaller text than the film title, so it doesn’t take attention away from the title.
Film Credits: This poster follows the typical convention of placing the billing block/film credits at the bottom 1/3rd of the poster in a condensed, thin font. This placement and sizing is intentional as it does not detract attention from the main image and film title. Furthermore, like most low budget horror films, it does not include much star power so there is no need to make the actors & actress’ names bold as they are not the main draw of the film. The thin, white font still stands out against the dark colours used on the poster. The font is very condensed in order to include all the significant names associated with the production and distribution of the film. Additionally, the Facebook page and website are included below the credits so they can explore aspects of the film on social media. The same goes for a QR code included on the poster which the audience can scan with their smartphone. The film has won awards at film festivals, indicated by the laurel leaves around the names of the festivals. The film distributor in Australia is credited as Insomnia Movies. This is the Australian distribution poster, indicated by the CTC and AU web domain. Overall, it conforms to the conventions of film credits in terms of positioning, size choice and film festivals on the right.
Empire Magazine Cover Textua l Analysis
Denotation:
The magazine cover consists of a colour photograph of the 3 lead actors from Django Unchained (from left to right: Leonardo Dicaprio, Jamie Foxx and Christopher Waltz) dressed as their characters in a promotional photograph for the film. It is a medium long shot with all three men posing in the foreground of the image. The background of the photograph is a grey, and the photo covers the whole magazine cover. Behind the three characters is the Empire masthead and Jamie Foxx’s hand partially overlaps the main cover-line. In front of them are three additional cover-lines at the bottom of the cover. There is no visible barcode, so this must be a digital edition of the magazine. However, there is still a date, price and website address presented in the top third of the cover, which is atypical positioning since it’s conventionally placed in the bottom third of the cover.
Masthead:
Empire’s masthead is a dark red and is very distinctive; it complements the red blood that is splattered and wipes across the cover. Empire is known for adapting the colour of the masthead to suit the theme of the cover, although it’s typical colour is red, it was intentionally left red to compliment the blood splatter and contrast against the background. It is a sans-serif point with sharp, straight edges to connote that it is a modern, edgy magazine. The name “Empire” connotes a massiveness associated with the magazine, as if it is a global phenomenon and grants the magazine a sense of grandeur. This is further accentuated by the boldness, width and eye-catching colour used for the font.
Character:
The cover photograph is the 3 main characters from the film “Django Unchained”. The protagonists: Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx) and Dr King Schultz (Christopher Waltz) and the primary antagonist Calvin Candie (Leonardo Dicaprio).
Composition: All three of the characters are staring down at the reader. Jamie Foxx is posed heroically, wielding a gun and holding one hand out as if to tell the audience to stop and draw their attention to him. He is the focal point of the photograph and is placed in the centre to indicate that he is the protagonist/titular character. Leonardo Dicaprio has his hands in his pocket and stares intently at the reader. Likewise, Christopher Waltz is holding a gun and staring at the reader.
Costume: Django (Jamie Foxx) is pictured wearing a cowboy hat, leather gloves and western attire. His western clothes connote the genre of the film; a spaghetti western action film. In particular, the cowboy hat is a blatant nod to the genre. He is an African-American man in his twenties. However, his representation as a well-dressed cowboy subverts the typical representation of black people in the western era/western films, and would make the audience question how a black man in the slave era can rise to such prominence and become a gun-slinging cowboy. This change of representation is highlighted by the explanatory line “How Tarantino reinvented the West” which connotes the idea that Tarantino is subverting and reinventing the western genre with Django Unchained. The leather gloves and moss coloured coat are a sign of wealth, which again subverts what a typical black man would wear in the western era. It could also be connoted with him being a bounty hunter, as stereotypical hunting gear normally contains leather gloves. The prop being a handgun also connotes his bounty hunting career and explicitly emphasizes the western theme.
King Schultz (Christopher Waltz) is shown wearing a bright grey suit and a bowler hat, both indicative of his wealth and respected profession as a dentist/doctor. He is an older gentleman with a thick beard. His age and facial hair connote his maturity and wisdom. Moreover, he does play a teacher/mentor role in the film, training Django to become the fastest gun in the west and even becoming fatherly to him by adorning him with new attire. He also has a gun, which is expected of any male in a western setting. It is pointing out of frame but his finger is on the trigger and he is ready to shoot. The fact that only him and Django have guns connote them as being outsiders/outlaws, compared to the well-dressed Calvin Candie who is not visibly wielding a weapon.
Calvin Candie (Leonardo Dicaprio) is shown wearing an excessively fancy dark brown suit and waistcoat, which is decorated with a lily. The addition of a lily and waistcoat connote the fact that he is the wealthiest person amongst the trio. The lily is a peculiar addition and could indicate him being a nice, gentle man (although this is definitely not the case as he is the antagonist and his facial expression is quite villainous).
NVC: Django’s non-verbal communication is serious and heroic, which connotes his role as the protagonist of the film. He stares directly at the camera and is arguably breaking the fourth wall. This is reinforced as his hand reaches outside of the magazine cover and is in front of the main cover-line, reaching out. The way that he holds his left hand out could be him signalling the audience to stop. He is wielding a gun and posing with it heroically, making him look like a badass. This heroic pose connotes his role as the protagonist.
Dr King Schultz’s non-verbal communication is one of seriousness and inquisitiveness. He is also looking directly at the camera. He is also wielding a gun, pointing it out of frame.
Calvin Candie’s non-verbal communication is mean and almost looks like he is scowling at the camera. This connotes his role as the antagonist/villain.
Lighting: Overall, the lighting is middle key, as the background is bright and the characters’ dark clothes contrast against it. The light source is coming from the left, making most of the light shine on Calvin Candie. This is very paradoxical as he is the main antagonist of the film and is an evil man. Since Django is in the centre, some of the light shines on him but most of his right side is covered in darkness and this makes him look very cool and mysterious, with his gun becoming a distinguishable silhouette. Dr King Schultz is wearing bright clothing so the lighting does not dampen his colours too harshly
Setting: There is little setting, as it appears to be a stained grey wall. It serves the purpose of contrasting against the characters and making them stand out. I believe this is a composited image, with each of the characters having been photographed separately and edited together. This is likely a press/promotional image provided to Empire, as it is very similar to the DVD cover. This is not a photograph made exclusively by/for Empire.
Cover-lines:
The main cover-line that relates to the photograph says: “The Good, the Bad and The Bloody!” with the kicker “Django Unchained” and the explanatory line “How Tarantino Reinvented The West”. “The Good, the Bad and the Bloody” is a play on words reference to the legendary spaghetti western film starring Clint Eastwood: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. This was intentional as Django Unchained is also a western film, and the replacement of “ugly” with “bloody” is a tongue in cheek reference to Tarantino’s style of filmography, in which he uses excessive violence and blood. This is evidenced throughout his films, e.g. in Kill Bill, where Beatrix Kiddo cuts Sophie Fatale’s arm off and it spouts blood like a fountain. The cover emphasises the bloody style of his films by featuring a blood splatter in the background and swiped across the main cover-line. This magazine came out one month after Django Unchained released, so this title choice shows the consensus that the film was just as bloody as his others. As I mentioned previously, Tarantino’s decision to focus a spaghetti western film around a black slave who becomes a bounty hunter in a viciously racist era in American History (set in the Old South where slavery and discrimination were most severe) subverts conventions of the Western genre in which African Americans are never portrayed as heroic and strong. The kicker, “Django Unchained” is the 2nd largest typography on the cover, as it is the leading article and is associated with the photograph since it’s the title of the film. It is also sans serif font although it is not as sharp as the masthead font. It is a pure white colour but it is stained with blood.
Secondary cover-lines include a review of 2012 (the year, not the film) and the film titles featured in the issue: Iron Man 3 and Star Wars Episode VII (abbreviated as Star Wars VII). There are no explanatory lines to add to these secondary cover-lines, as the main focus is on Django Unchained since the photograph takes up the whole cover and the main cover-line is dead centre, whereas the secondary cover-lines are positioned at the bottom of the page.
The unique selling point of the magazine issue is themed around the Oscars, and features “18 huge exclusives”. This would appeal to the target audience of the magazine, as you would suspect customers/subscribers of the magazine to be invested in awards season as well.
Target Audience
From all these points, it can be assessed that the target audience of this magazine would be people (male and female, although particularly more male members as opposed to female) aged 18 to 30. They would have to be film geeks to purchase/subscribe to this magazine. They would be heavily invested in current films and are likely to be well educated/well read, possibly studying film at university.
