Actors

There will be four characters in total and each one shall be seen, there will be two female characters and two male characters.

Victim 1
Name- Rosie Atkin
Characters Name- Rosie

Victim 2

Name- Daisy Ashmore
Characters Name- Daisy

Both these characters will be seen in the first shot.

Villian
Name- Tom Cassidy
Characters Name- Tom
This character is seen slightly in the woods, and during the ending scene

Props

There aren’t going to be many props within our thriller piece except a black cloth to cover daisy when in the abduction scene, some tape to go over each of our mouths.

Costume

We then talked about costume and as a group we decided that ‘normal’ but slightly dull clothing would be the best to use, for example colours such as blue’s, grey’s and cream’s this would then bring less attention towards the characters and make the audience think about the bigger picture.

Here are some rough ideas for the victims;

Here is an example of what the villian would wear; 

Location

When we were planning our thriller we all agreed we wanted to shoot part of it in a woods/forest we decided to go for Bramcote woods as it’s fairly close and has great of path route we can shoot on. We also want to shot this location when it is slightly dark this will then add to the thriller effect as it brings more mystery and tension to our audience. The second part of our opening will be shot at Tom’s grandma’s house, due to how the house is built there’s a under ground room which is left for storage however there is little decoration and one light bulb we are using this for our abduction scene.

Thriller task- storyborad

By this date we had completed our introduction towards the thriller genre and was now concentrating upon our own thriller task, we decided our groups which consisted of me, daisy and tom. We then as a group started producing our storyboard we took inspiration from both Marchlands and Se7en, as we were drawing the storyboard we wrote brief descriptions of camera angles, mise en scene, transitions and what was happening alongside the picture.



Brainstorming

When we started brain storming we started by writing our the key things we need to create a thriller opening;

As a group we wrote down different places that stereotypically used for an opening scene of a thriller, such as woods, offices, quiet streets and buildings. From our questionnaire we all agreed that we wanted to use woods and a house or what appears to be an abandoned building. This also suits the stereotype of locations within the thriller genre. We wrote down a number of different plot ideas that we could use for our thriller task, stereotypically murder, torture, crime, death, mystery are featured in a thriller film. As a group we wanted to stick to the conventions of a thriller and therfore stereotypically making the female characters the victims. We also wanted villain in our opening to make the opening tenser. We decided that light should be dark and mysterious, when editing we also wanted to change the contrast of the opening to make it seem more dangerous. we decided that the costume for the victims should be ‘normal’ but slightly dull clothing would be the best to use, for example colours such as blue’s, grey’s and cream’s this would then bring less attention towards the characters and make the audience think about the bigger picture. We brainstormed potential outcomes for eth ending of the opening such as murder, death and cliff-hangers.

Questionnaire

Today we created a questionnaire to help us gain more knowledge on what an audience like to see in a thriller film. The answers to these would then help us create a better thriller opening that would target all.

1.Male or female?
Male- 6
Female- 4

 

2.How old are you?
10-20- 6
21-30- 3
31-40- 1

3.Do you enjoy watching thriller films?
Yes- 4
Sometimes- 4
No- 2

4.What is your favourite sub genre?
Action thriller- 3
Mystery thriller- 3
Psychological thriller- 1
Crime thriller- 2
Medical thriller- 0
Sci fi thriller- 1

 

5.Where do you like opening scenes to be shot?
Woods- 3
Abandoned buildings- 4
Streets- 1
Rivers/lakes- 0
Unrecognisable places- 2

 

6.What should an opening scene consist of?
Crime- 1
Murder- 3
Mystery- 2
Abduction- 3
Other- 1

 

7.What type of shots do you like to see?
Short and fast paced shots- 4
Long and slow paced shots- 2
Action filled beginning- 1
Calm beginning- 0
Combination- 2
Other- 1

Within the questionnaire I questioned both females and males, a total of 6 males were asked do you enjoy watching films and the majority of them agreed therefore sticking to the stereotype of thriller is a genre for the male gender. I later asked each person what their favourite sub thriller genre was, the majority of people said action and mystery. This means that I should try and concentrate on both these genres when creating my own thriller opening. Question number five was of real importance as it allowed us to determine what the best locations would be to use, once again number six ‘What should an opening scene consist of’ is important as it would help our group focus on certain area that our film should consist from the questionnaire I can see that both murder and abduction are the two favourite’s. Finally ‘what types of shot’s do you like to see’ I asked this question so I could see how an audience would want certain shots to be portrayed the majority of people said short and fast paced however I think a combination of a few of these would make a better opening sequence.

Thriller Research

Thriller is a genre of literature, film, and television that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. The primary subgenre is psychological thrillers. After the assassination of President Kennedy, political thriller and paranoid thriller films became very popular. The brightest examples of thrillers are the Hitchcock’s movies. The cover-up of important information from the viewer and fight/chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own characteristics and methods

A Thriller contains certain characteristics. The pace must be quick, there has to be a lot of action, and there should be suspense and plot twists aplenty. Thrillers should have the reader on the edge of their seat, wondering if the good guy can get one over the bad guy and save the world (even though it's extremely rare for the bad guy to win, in your classic Thriller).

Sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre) http://www.illiterarty.com/genre-thriller

Orphan opening sequence

The opening sequence of orphan starts with a dull and unlife like image of the ‘Warner brother picture’ and ‘Dark Castle’ production companies logo the images then quickly flickers back and forth from the dull image to a bright florescent neon splash of colours. The sound during this is incidental as the colour changes from dull to neon there is a quick sound of clicking and scratching. The sequence then changes though fades to black, the picture then reapers to a scratchier, more sinister font there is then violent artwork shown of what appears to be children, books, families etc. similar to how the production companies were represented the picture goes from dull to  being surrounded by fluorescent paint. This effect also occurs with many of the names shown in the end title sequence. When the pictures come into view the sound starts to quicken and picks up a menacing tone which makes the audience feel nervous, tense and anxious. Each shot uses a fading transaction to get to the next one this is effective as it focuses upon a spot in the title sequence as well as making the audience feel on edge. Once the credits finished the title ‘Orphan’ comes into view using the same effect of the neon paint.

 

Marchlands opening sequence

Marchlands are a gripping story of three different families living in the same house in the 1960’s, 1980’s and the present day. The families are linked by the spirit of a young girl – the 1960’s family’s daughter who died in mysterious circumstances.  However this is not a film I believe that the opening sequence of this is particularly good as it abides the codes and conventions of a thriller using sound, lighting, mise en scene, stereotypical charactering and editing to make the audience fell tense and on edge. The first shot we see is an establishing shot of what appears to be an abandoned forest, however a few seconds later a young girl come into view from the left hand side of the screen. There is use of ambient sound of birds although as the young girl fades away into the trees a more sinister sound creeps in ‘incidental music’. The shot then cuts to mid shot of the same girl running though the trees, the shot is shown out of focus and in slow motion this making more emphasis upon the main character. The camera changes angles from both high to low to show the girl running this put the audience in an emotional position as they can see the girl is running from something this also makes them feel tense to what it could be. A transition is then used to slide into the next shot, the camera then goes into a low angle mid shot to make the young girl seem vulnerable  and defenceless. Synchronous sound in the form of heavy breathing also comes into this part of the scene which also builds up the tension as it suggests the character is truly scared of something which makes the audience feel a wanting of helplessness towards the character. We then are taken though a number of different short shot’s such mid shot’s, long shot’s and point of view shot with both the music and pace quickening. The camera then cuts to a high angled shot of the forest floor with leaves and twigs before a quick cut to women’s eye. The mise en scene within this sequence is practically good; with the stereotype of a girl is used, she is young and dressed is ‘normal’ the lighting is ambient although editing decisions such as contrast and glows have made areas of the sequence seem more intense.

Se7en opening sequence

The opening credits of se7en starts with a side view of a book this is seen through a close up alongside of this are also credits. Non Diegetic sound is used right at the start of the sequence what seems to be a short tapping of a drum. The camera then cuts to a black screen to show credits such as the Production Company, a bright light from the left hand corner then dissolves into view to show a pair of aged and disfigured hands. Various shadows then occur and the sequence goes through a number of short and snappy shots of mechanical objects, during this the same tapping of the drum is used however a quick squeaking noise is brought in such as a scratching of metals this builds tension as the audience cannot see the actual source of the noise which then brings suspicion to what it may be. More credits are shown after this and then more short shots are shown though close ups the audience see a pair of “normal” hands however the audience see’s the skin being scraped of the then ends of the fingers, this suggest the character who is doing this is not 100% sane this shot brings tension to a viewing audience as it begins to make them feel uncomfortable watching it as well as curious. An array of photo shots are then seen and then the audience see’s an editing decision of a super imposing comes into view this involves a close up of a hand writing in a book with a light contrast of the same hand upon it. There then comes a sequence of shots with cuts to credits the shots are all shown through close ups this suggests that the character and the accommodation wants to remain unknown. Further though the sequence the sound changes slightly as a new quicker beat is brought in, this suggests the sequence is more sinister this puts the audience on edge. Scratched imperfect lettering jumps and lurches to the screeching sounds, while rough-cut, up-close footage transforms ordinary tools of trays, scissors, paper, tape into ominous devices of torture. The handwritten words scribbled on the film are mixed with bits of what seems to be text from the bible make the audience curious about what the character is doing, why and what his/hers motivations are. These flashes of criminal obsession create an overall sense of precision and distress. Throughout the whole sequence disturbing images are used of people this represents the films plot of the seven deadly sins, the way the photos are shown through high angled shots makes the audience feel as though their inside the characters head straight off, making the tension that much more intense when he/she finally does show up.

Conventions

The Thriller genre normally would include the following conventions  

• A crime at the core of the narrative often murder, but not necessarily.
• A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.
• A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
• A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.
• Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
• Themes of identity, of mirroring and voyeurism.
• Protagonist with a ‘flaw’ which is exploited by the antagonist.
• Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist’s psychological state.
• There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
• Mise en scene which echoes/ mirrors the protagonist’s.
• Quick pace with camera movements and sound.
• Dark and dull lighting to create suspense and to give a sinister effect.

Thriller introduction

Thriller is a genre of fiction in which tough, resourceful, but essentially ordinary heroes are pitted against villains determined to destroy them. Part of the appeal of thrillers comes from not only what their stories are about, but also how they are told. High stakes, non-stop action, plot twists that both surprise and excite and audience, settings that are both vibrant and mysterious, and an intense pace that never lets up until the climax.

In our first lesson to the thriller genre we looked at a lot of Alfred Hitchcock openings and how he presented them, he used camera angles, sound, and lighting to make a staring that is tense and buts the audience on edge. We then looked at other film openings such as “se7en” to get started on our thriller opening reviews.

Preliminary task – Final piece

28th January 2011


This is our groups final piece

Preliminary task – Final Edit

24th and 25th January 2011

On the 24^th we had a double lesson; we had finished our filming on the previous lesson and are now ready to start editing our sequence.  We started by connecting the video camera to the computer to be able to upload it to “Adobe Premiere Pro” we then had a quick discussion as a group to what the best ways to edit it was e.g. did we want titles first what type of transitions we would us and even if we wanted transitions between each scene.  After this we made a start on editing, we firstly got each shot into order and named them as we thought it would make it easier to edit when we came around to. We then inserted each scene in its rightful place and watched over it; after we did this we cut most scenes as they were too long and took up time. An example of this is where in the original take Jake run up the stairs and opens the door; however in the next scene we see Jake opening the door and running into a corridor. We had to cut the first part of this as it didn’t look correct when watching it through. 

Once we finished this we looked at transitions we started by entering dissolves to blacks for most of the scenes, however we decide to use a cube spin for the phone scene we did this because we wanted to represent two things happening at once and we thought this type of transition accomplished this. Further though the editing process we asked for Mr Lane’s opinion on what we have done and he agreed with our decision on the cube spin, however he thought the constant dissolve to black’s weren’t thought out. So as a group we watched over the piece and decided that the constant dissolves made our sequence look amateur and represented a passage in time and we didn’t want this. We then deleted these too straight cuts. The lesson then ended.

Our next lesson in media was the 28^th, our previous tow hour lesson consisted of editing the main sequence, this lesson our group concentrated on the titles to our piece. We started at the end by writing cast within the piece and then writers and directors which were “I, Daisy, Tom and Ellie”. We then moved onto the opening titles such as the title “I’m sorry” and producer “21^st decade mongoose”. We chose the title “I’m sorry” due to the consistent repetition of I’m sorry in the last scene.