*Here is my Thriller*
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Friday, 10 April 2009
Evaluation*
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In our thriller we have followed many conventions that are stereotypical in thriller openings. A crime usually takes place at the core of the narrative, we have followed this convention as at the end of title sequence the antagonist takes the vulnerable child and leaves the audience in suspense of the upcoming. This helps create suspense for our audience, it also makes our thriller seem believable and leaves them on a Cliff hanger as soon as the boy has been grabbed, a
straight cut, and cuts to the title of the thriller. This too creates suspicion for the audience as they do not know where the child is and what the man wants from him.
We have also followed the convention that we have both an antagonist and a protagonist in our opening tile sequence. This helps differ our two characters and helps portray their differences. It also indicates to the audience that we have an evil character in our plot and a victimised character who plays the innocent role.
Our thriller also follows a simple narrative structure, with false clues to add edge to our thriller, as it gives a twist and makes the thriller seem more exciting. A narrative pattern of establishing enigma's is used in our opening, this makes the audience question what is going on and adds tension as they are unsure what to expect. Our title sequence reflects an aspect of Alex (the antagonist) characters physiological state. He plays a lonely, isolated role, leading him to live a life of anger; this creates a sinister character and creates tension for our audience. Our thriller is very similar to other films such as:
Taxi Driver (1976)
Cape Fear (1991)
One Hour Photo (2002)
Single White Female(1992)
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
All these other films link to ours as they stalk an innocent character. Sleeping with the Enemy, is when Julia Roberts goes into hiding as her husband turns into a violent maniac, and of course he tracks her down. This can be related to ours as Alex (protagonist) is a dangerous character who is after revenge on the young child, it is not revealed why he takes him. This links to Sleeping with the Enemy as both thrillers have similarities, as they have similar topics and both films do not reveal what is going on.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
There are two main characters in my thriller who both manipulate the audience in different ways. The protagonist, (young child) is an innocent boy who is playing on the park after a hard day at school. He lives a free life with no worries and the shot of the mis en scene of the park reflects that this is where he goes to have fun and break free from school. A park should be a safe place to play howeve
r, our group twisted the idea and got our antagonist to interfere making the zone no longer safe. The school is our other location and again this should reflect a safe area, however again the zone is made to be an unsafe zone as this is near where the young boy gets taken. This helps manipulate the audience as they would assume that near a school would be a safe place. Our thriller almost educates them and a wares them that anything could be possible.
The camera angles used often changed the peaceful park into a danger zone for the young boy. The long shot that is used to show the boy being watched is used to create suspense for the audience as they are unaware who the man in the background is and therefore this makes them nervous. The close ups zooming in to the stalker helps resolve the enigma of not knowing who the man is as his face is then revealed and it then becomes obvious that the man is watching the boy. The frequent use of high angled shots is often used to portray the young boy’s innocence. In contrast to this, low camera angle shots are used to reflect the dominance of the antagonists’ character. In the title sequence the antagonist plays the sinister role and he is the one who has an effect on the audience as it is the costume that creates tension for our audience.
The costume used also adds to the effect on the audience. The dark clothing creates a sinister character for the antagonist and makes the audience feel nervous. This does not only apply in our thriller, but also in the street. It is commonly known that if an older man is walking beside a child dressed in a black coat including a hood could suggest that danger could be about to occur. The costume is very important as it creates a mysterious feel to the man. It also could aware the audience what to beware of outside the film. The man is made to look dangerous and manipulate the young boy.
The editing also contributes to the social groups. The pace of the editing is reduced right down again to add to that tense atmosphere that we aimed to create. The slow transitions make it more on edge for the audience as it takes longer to find out what is about to happen. The dissolve transition again adds to the effect as it adds an eerie feel to the thriller. It works better than straight cuts as these become boring and make it look home made.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Dimension Films is a great distribution company and this is why I would like them to distrubute my thriller.
They have worked with many thrillers, one being... Sin City.
Sin City Research... quoted by, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_City_(film)
The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: The Hard Goodbye focuses on a hulking man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time lover's killer; The Big Fat Kill focuses on a street war held between a group of prostitutes and a series of mercenaries; and That Yellow Bastard focuses on an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer.
I chose this institution as I felt my film was similar to Sin City. I was visually inspired by the film, and my film and Sin City are sleek, professional yet sinister. They both include a twist to the plot of the topic and therefore this adds extra effect for our audience as it leaves them feeling tense.
The kind of Distribution Company that would have interest in my film is those who like to focus distributing films to a specific audience. My audience are watching our film to not only be entertained but also to be educated and aware that kidnapping is a common problem in today's society. The film is trying to aware the audience to keep your guard at all times with your children. The distribution company would have to focus my film at an older audience as it may not be appropriate for a family orientated film as the film is quite spooky and could scare young children.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our thriller is aimed at an
older audience because of the seriousness of the topic. It would not be appropriate for young children to watch the thriller as at times it can be very jumpy and disturbing for them. Younger adults however, may enjoy this film, as their interest may be about action packed films and our film includes adventure and violence. We primarily aim to entertain however, secondary like to educate the audience in hope to teach our audience to be aware of those strange men and women who possibly could be out their.
My questionnaire also influenced my final decision on our chosen target audience. It was clear to see that those who watched thriller films were aged 15+, younger children focus on watching comedy and romantic stories. My questionnaire also proved that stereotypically men are more interested in thrillers than women. This could be due to the amount of tension brought up, many women like to watch a film that creates comfort and is easy to watch whereas men, like the twist and action.
Ways To Attract The Audience:
*Posters- persuading the audience into watching the film
*TV Adverts- aware the audience that a new film is out
*Trailers- give the audience abit of enigma of what is to come.
Today's movies in Hollywood and Broadway are not brand new; they are often reworked or revived material. Meanwhile, thousands of writers are creating original materials every week, but they're not getting produced. Although many of the major production companies seem to put out tired and predictable shows, there is still interest in new materials, new scripts, and new approaches. The aim is to create scripts that will attract the attention of the various levels of audiences that the scriptwriter will encounter.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The camera and equipment was relatively easy to use and I learnt many new techniques. Our group took it in turns to work the camera so we all got an equal chance. Our group tried to include effective shots to not create a boring thriller. We used reflection shots off car windows and used a variety of angles to create an atmospheric atmosphere.
The editing process was quicker than I expected, I think that my preliminary task helped me alot with my final product. In our editing process we had to work on the saturation, speed, music, transitions and ensure that everything fitted in and linked well.
The saturation was changed to create a darker atmosphere making the opening credits eerie. Therefore, this would create tension for our chosen audience. The darker it looked the better but we had to make sure it was still clear to see the faces of our actors. The saturation had to be changed on each bit of film. This could have been a long process but once we started doing this we got into the hang of it and it became a quick and easy process.
The speed was adjusted to create a slow, tense thriller. This way would work the best as the audience are left on edge what to expect. It also creates tension and fits in well with our thriller as the man following the young boy is slow and painful for the audience.
The chosen music again worked well with our thriller. It was slow pace and again created a tense atmosphere for our chosen audience. The music fitted in with the cuts and this added extra effect as it didn't just look like the music and the shots were separate. This took a while and began to be quite difficult at times however, our group worked very hard to make it work and therefore, the music and the cuts together were a success. When the music turned loud and aggressive our grabbing the boy scene took place and this worked well and fitted in to again build a climax in our atmosphere.
The transitions used also add extra effect. We often used the dissolve transition as this made it look sinister whilst creating a believable opening. At times we used various transitions to create excitement for our audience. It usually meant that something bad was going to happen when a different transition was used; it also represented the characters behaviour at the time.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that my skills and techniques have improved intensely over the last few months. The preliminary task definitely helped me further my understanding in both the editing and filming stage. I learnt many different ways to create effective shots. Some that I thought that would work well and some that worked better than what I perhaps thought.
Instead of just simply filming the shots I worked with my storyboard as this was very successful. It was also useful to film more than what was needed. This way if any gaps appeared they could be filled with the extra film that was recorded. Also another filming technique I learnt from my preliminary task is that filming some of the scenery around you is a good way to fill a gap and at the same time it creates a mystery feel to the thriller as it just shows the surrounding of the characters.
Our preliminary task also gave us an understanding of the colour and saturation. Our first set of filming was very dark, until we changed our lighting colour. After we did this the filming lightened up and therefore it became easy to see what was going on. This widened my understanding as in my main task we filmed outside and therefore, the lighting did not have to be adjusted due to the sun wasn't out and we wasn't inside with artificial lighting. However, if we were filming inside I would have had the understanding to change the lighting.
The dialogue in our preliminary task didn't seem completely believable. This perhaps could have been as we rehearsed it many of times or it could have been that we are use to the actor’s voice so it becomes hard to believe them. This helped us in our final piece, as we decided to have no conversation. This meant that the filming and editing had to create the storyline though otherwise the audience
would not understand what was going on.
The editing process definitely became easier in our Final piece as we had plenty of practice earlier on in our preliminary task. The transitions were easier to use and we had already played around with them, so therefore we knew which ones worked well and which ones were unsuccessful.
I also learnt that the costumes and props are a huge success when it comes to filming a film. It creates enigmas for the audience as they are unsure who plays the role of the victimised character and who the antagonist is. The costume does have a great effect on the audience and this is why we were specific when it came to our final piece. Our chosen costumes created a believable opening for our thriller.
In our thriller we have followed many conventions that are stereotypical in thriller openings. A crime usually takes place at the core of the narrative, we have followed this convention as at the end of title sequence the antagonist takes the vulnerable child and leaves the audience in suspense of the upcoming. This helps create suspense for our audience, it also makes our thriller seem believable and leaves them on a Cliff hanger as soon as the boy has been grabbed, a
straight cut, and cuts to the title of the thriller. This too creates suspicion for the audience as they do not know where the child is and what the man wants from him.We have also followed the convention that we have both an antagonist and a protagonist in our opening tile sequence. This helps differ our two characters and helps portray their differences. It also indicates to the audience that we have an evil character in our plot and a victimised character who plays the innocent role.
Our thriller also follows a simple narrative structure, with false clues to add edge to our thriller, as it gives a twist and makes the thriller seem more exciting. A narrative pattern of establishing enigma's is used in our opening, this makes the audience question what is going on and adds tension as they are unsure what to expect. Our title sequence reflects an aspect of Alex (the antagonist) characters physiological state. He plays a lonely, isolated role, leading him to live a life of anger; this creates a sinister character and creates tension for our audience. Our thriller is very similar to other films such as:
Taxi Driver (1976)
Cape Fear (1991)
One Hour Photo (2002)
Single White Female(1992)
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
All these other films link to ours as they stalk an innocent character. Sleeping with the Enemy, is when Julia Roberts goes into hiding as her husband turns into a violent maniac, and of course he tracks her down. This can be related to ours as Alex (protagonist) is a dangerous character who is after revenge on the young child, it is not revealed why he takes him. This links to Sleeping with the Enemy as both thrillers have similarities, as they have similar topics and both films do not reveal what is going on.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
There are two main characters in my thriller who both manipulate the audience in different ways. The protagonist, (young child) is an innocent boy who is playing on the park after a hard day at school. He lives a free life with no worries and the shot of the mis en scene of the park reflects that this is where he goes to have fun and break free from school. A park should be a safe place to play howeve
r, our group twisted the idea and got our antagonist to interfere making the zone no longer safe. The school is our other location and again this should reflect a safe area, however again the zone is made to be an unsafe zone as this is near where the young boy gets taken. This helps manipulate the audience as they would assume that near a school would be a safe place. Our thriller almost educates them and a wares them that anything could be possible.The camera angles used often changed the peaceful park into a danger zone for the young boy. The long shot that is used to show the boy being watched is used to create suspense for the audience as they are unaware who the man in the background is and therefore this makes them nervous. The close ups zooming in to the stalker helps resolve the enigma of not knowing who the man is as his face is then revealed and it then becomes obvious that the man is watching the boy. The frequent use of high angled shots is often used to portray the young boy’s innocence. In contrast to this, low camera angle shots are used to reflect the dominance of the antagonists’ character. In the title sequence the antagonist plays the sinister role and he is the one who has an effect on the audience as it is the costume that creates tension for our audience.
The costume used also adds to the effect on the audience. The dark clothing creates a sinister character for the antagonist and makes the audience feel nervous. This does not only apply in our thriller, but also in the street. It is commonly known that if an older man is walking beside a child dressed in a black coat including a hood could suggest that danger could be about to occur. The costume is very important as it creates a mysterious feel to the man. It also could aware the audience what to beware of outside the film. The man is made to look dangerous and manipulate the young boy.
The editing also contributes to the social groups. The pace of the editing is reduced right down again to add to that tense atmosphere that we aimed to create. The slow transitions make it more on edge for the audience as it takes longer to find out what is about to happen. The dissolve transition again adds to the effect as it adds an eerie feel to the thriller. It works better than straight cuts as these become boring and make it look home made.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Dimension Films is a great distribution company and this is why I would like them to distrubute my thriller.
They have worked with many thrillers, one being... Sin City.
Sin City Research... quoted by, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_City_(film)
The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: The Hard Goodbye focuses on a hulking man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time lover's killer; The Big Fat Kill focuses on a street war held between a group of prostitutes and a series of mercenaries; and That Yellow Bastard focuses on an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer.
I chose this institution as I felt my film was similar to Sin City. I was visually inspired by the film, and my film and Sin City are sleek, professional yet sinister. They both include a twist to the plot of the topic and therefore this adds extra effect for our audience as it leaves them feeling tense.
The kind of Distribution Company that would have interest in my film is those who like to focus distributing films to a specific audience. My audience are watching our film to not only be entertained but also to be educated and aware that kidnapping is a common problem in today's society. The film is trying to aware the audience to keep your guard at all times with your children. The distribution company would have to focus my film at an older audience as it may not be appropriate for a family orientated film as the film is quite spooky and could scare young children.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our thriller is aimed at an
older audience because of the seriousness of the topic. It would not be appropriate for young children to watch the thriller as at times it can be very jumpy and disturbing for them. Younger adults however, may enjoy this film, as their interest may be about action packed films and our film includes adventure and violence. We primarily aim to entertain however, secondary like to educate the audience in hope to teach our audience to be aware of those strange men and women who possibly could be out their.My questionnaire also influenced my final decision on our chosen target audience. It was clear to see that those who watched thriller films were aged 15+, younger children focus on watching comedy and romantic stories. My questionnaire also proved that stereotypically men are more interested in thrillers than women. This could be due to the amount of tension brought up, many women like to watch a film that creates comfort and is easy to watch whereas men, like the twist and action.
Ways To Attract The Audience:
*Posters- persuading the audience into watching the film
*TV Adverts- aware the audience that a new film is out
*Trailers- give the audience abit of enigma of what is to come.
Today's movies in Hollywood and Broadway are not brand new; they are often reworked or revived material. Meanwhile, thousands of writers are creating original materials every week, but they're not getting produced. Although many of the major production companies seem to put out tired and predictable shows, there is still interest in new materials, new scripts, and new approaches. The aim is to create scripts that will attract the attention of the various levels of audiences that the scriptwriter will encounter.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The camera and equipment was relatively easy to use and I learnt many new techniques. Our group took it in turns to work the camera so we all got an equal chance. Our group tried to include effective shots to not create a boring thriller. We used reflection shots off car windows and used a variety of angles to create an atmospheric atmosphere.
The editing process was quicker than I expected, I think that my preliminary task helped me alot with my final product. In our editing process we had to work on the saturation, speed, music, transitions and ensure that everything fitted in and linked well.
The saturation was changed to create a darker atmosphere making the opening credits eerie. Therefore, this would create tension for our chosen audience. The darker it looked the better but we had to make sure it was still clear to see the faces of our actors. The saturation had to be changed on each bit of film. This could have been a long process but once we started doing this we got into the hang of it and it became a quick and easy process.
The speed was adjusted to create a slow, tense thriller. This way would work the best as the audience are left on edge what to expect. It also creates tension and fits in well with our thriller as the man following the young boy is slow and painful for the audience.
The chosen music again worked well with our thriller. It was slow pace and again created a tense atmosphere for our chosen audience. The music fitted in with the cuts and this added extra effect as it didn't just look like the music and the shots were separate. This took a while and began to be quite difficult at times however, our group worked very hard to make it work and therefore, the music and the cuts together were a success. When the music turned loud and aggressive our grabbing the boy scene took place and this worked well and fitted in to again build a climax in our atmosphere.
The transitions used also add extra effect. We often used the dissolve transition as this made it look sinister whilst creating a believable opening. At times we used various transitions to create excitement for our audience. It usually meant that something bad was going to happen when a different transition was used; it also represented the characters behaviour at the time.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that my skills and techniques have improved intensely over the last few months. The preliminary task definitely helped me further my understanding in both the editing and filming stage. I learnt many different ways to create effective shots. Some that I thought that would work well and some that worked better than what I perhaps thought.
Instead of just simply filming the shots I worked with my storyboard as this was very successful. It was also useful to film more than what was needed. This way if any gaps appeared they could be filled with the extra film that was recorded. Also another filming technique I learnt from my preliminary task is that filming some of the scenery around you is a good way to fill a gap and at the same time it creates a mystery feel to the thriller as it just shows the surrounding of the characters.
Our preliminary task also gave us an understanding of the colour and saturation. Our first set of filming was very dark, until we changed our lighting colour. After we did this the filming lightened up and therefore it became easy to see what was going on. This widened my understanding as in my main task we filmed outside and therefore, the lighting did not have to be adjusted due to the sun wasn't out and we wasn't inside with artificial lighting. However, if we were filming inside I would have had the understanding to change the lighting.
The dialogue in our preliminary task didn't seem completely believable. This perhaps could have been as we rehearsed it many of times or it could have been that we are use to the actor’s voice so it becomes hard to believe them. This helped us in our final piece, as we decided to have no conversation. This meant that the filming and editing had to create the storyline though otherwise the audience
would not understand what was going on.The editing process definitely became easier in our Final piece as we had plenty of practice earlier on in our preliminary task. The transitions were easier to use and we had already played around with them, so therefore we knew which ones worked well and which ones were unsuccessful.
I also learnt that the costumes and props are a huge success when it comes to filming a film. It creates enigmas for the audience as they are unsure who plays the role of the victimised character and who the antagonist is. The costume does have a great effect on the audience and this is why we were specific when it came to our final piece. Our chosen costumes created a believable opening for our thriller.
Friday, 3 April 2009
The Music We Have Used In Our Final Peice:
As with any film production, music is pivital in conveying the scene and allowing an atmosphere to be created. We needed to find a non-copyrighted source and search for music that would compliment our production.
We found one on http://derekaudette.ottawaarts.com/index2.php. The track is called Numbers Station and is copyright free. It's eerie sounding tone went really well with our piece and creates a on edge thriller for our audience.
We found one on http://derekaudette.ottawaarts.com/index2.php. The track is called Numbers Station and is copyright free. It's eerie sounding tone went really well with our piece and creates a on edge thriller for our audience.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
My Opening Credits*
The opening credits helps create our first impression:
FONT*
*traditional
*adds to the eerie feel of the thriller
*White font over a black background creates a sisinter feel.
FONT*
*traditional
*adds to the eerie feel of the thriller
*White font over a black background creates a sisinter feel.
Summarising Our Editing*
Transitions used:
We added several transitions and often used fading to black as it gave it a eerie atmosphere. We had to be quick with the opening credits due to limited time, so therefore this would be a perfect way to open our thriller.
Saturation:
We chose this saturation as we thought that this would work the best for our thriller. It would create a dark and eerie feel to our thriller creating a tense atmosphere for our audience.
Speed and Pace Of Our Shots:
We slowed our shots down to create tension
for our audience as the slower the scene was the
more painful and disturbing it became for
the audience to watch.
We added several transitions and often used fading to black as it gave it a eerie atmosphere. We had to be quick with the opening credits due to limited time, so therefore this would be a perfect way to open our thriller.
Saturation:
We chose this saturation as we thought that this would work the best for our thriller. It would create a dark and eerie feel to our thriller creating a tense atmosphere for our audience.
Speed and Pace Of Our Shots:
We slowed our shots down to create tension
for our audience as the slower the scene was the
more painful and disturbing it became for
the audience to watch.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Anamatic Storyboard*
Introduction Shot*
(Me) Jade Ashmore- Candidate Number- 3006
Carl Squires- Candidate Number 3188
Alex Papadopoulos- Candidate Number 3150
Shot One*
This is our opening camera shot, we are using a Point of View shot to reflect what our main character can see . It portrays our opening scene and creates narrative enigma. It makes the
audience question who is looking at the children and why they are doing this.
The shot in its self appears to be normal although the choice of music will inform the audience that there is something more sinister about this apparent innocent shot.
Shot Two*
This shot introduces the antagonist (played by Alex), this shot reveals what the main character looks like, however we are not going to reveal his face. This adds to the sense of mystery and confusion surrounding the antagonist. We believe that it is important throughout our thriller (Reprisal), to maintain a sense of creative enigma.
Shot Three*
This shot shows the children leaving the school gate.This shot portrays the vulnerability of the children as they leave the safety of the school premisis and move closer to the ever watchful eye of the voyeur.We are going to edit together both long shots and close ups of the children to represent that they are having a good time... However this about to change!
Shot Four*
This shot reflects the character moving towards the school, it creates suspense as the audience are unaware of what is happening. The main character is following the school children, this shot creates continuity in the sequence. It reminds the audience that danger is not too far away.
Shot Five*
This shot follows the story, it shows the children living their everyday life unaware that danger is lurking behind them. This makes the audience feel on edge as they sympathise for the children but they too, are waiting for something terrible to occur.
Shot Six*
This over the shoulder shot puts the two shots previously shown together to link up our idea of the man following the children. The over the shoulder shot portrays the sense of voyuerism. It reflects that the children are being followed and suggests that the chidlren are being threatened. It also creates enigma as the audience are unsure of who the mysterious man is.
Shot Seven & Shot Eight
This shot creates danger within the story line as the children split up leaving one child alone. This gives the man oppurtunity to attack but the audience do not know this however they fear this is going to take place. The man is constantly following the children and waiting for them where the children can not see. When the children stop so does the man. This creates a tense atmosphere.
Shot Nine*
This shot reflects the vulnerability of the child. He is alone and the audience are scared for the child as it has become obvious that something bad is about to take place.
Shot Ten*
This shot is going to be blurred, the effect of this is to leave the grabbing of the boy a mystery and leave it to the audience's imagination. If we had better quality cameras this could look really clever and effective but due to college equipment this is not possible. Furthermore, we will not focus in on the boy and man and it will be a very quick process.
Shot Eleven*
This scene creates confusion, as we do not know where the boy is and what the man wants from the boy. The collage of pictures on the wall creates an uneasy sense of mystery. This scene will have very dark lighting and only lit candles will provide light to make the scene feel eerie.
Shot Twelve*
This is the title sequence, we are going to use spooky font to create a thriller sense opening. Music will be played over the top to create a sense of mystery and timing will be significant to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Diary For Main Task*
12th February-
On our first meeting our group sat down to initiate our ideas. We created mindmaps, bulleted lists and a summary of our intentions including starting points, location, props and costume coming up with our general overview. Our group worked quickly and successfully to achieve that we had both a completed and detailed plan. All three of us brought forward many imaginative ideas however we had to narrow it down to one main idea that we would focus on.
17th February & 24th February-
We continued our planning and began to plan a storyboard that would include the different camera angles and the effect on the audience. We also drew images of different shots that would portray a variety of interesting shots creating a mysterious atmosphere. Our group communicated well and came up with several title names for our Thriller. Our final name (Reprisal) was decided as a group decision. This fitted in well as the deifinition of Reprisal was to take something back.
The lay out of a storyboard, helped us through the process of our filming and editing as it gave us a good understanding of what we wanted to include such as, the camera angles, who would be in the shot, what the shot would be portraying and what is going to be revealed. The order was very easy to follow and our group worked sucessfully together.
26th February-
Our group continued on with our planning, we worked at a table brainstorming ideas. We went into detail about costume, and what each character would be wearing and why this was our choice. We also spoke about using several props that could portray Alex (main character) to look intimidating and sinister. We also jotted down our actors/actresses and what role they were going to take.
3rd March-
Today we progressed to going out of college and visiting our location. We walked down to into Stapleford and decided where would be best to film. Due to William Lilley Infants School having children on the premises we thought it would be ideal to ring and ask permition to film the school incase of any child protection laws. The school were very understanding and allowed our group to film the school as part of our Thriller. That day we also took several photographs of the settings to give us a wider understanding. When returning back to College, we planned out our filming schedule and when all our filming would take place. Ensuring that we all had equal parts of filming with the video camera.
5th March-
This day was an unfortunate day, we went out and began filming all our shots and worked very quickly and sufficient. However, when returning back to class and watching the entire film back we noticed that shots were shaken, and close ups looked like a home video. This seemed like a waste of two hours however, it helped us develop our thriller further. Even though we were an hour behind we are going to catch up in the next lesson ensuring we work quickly to get the filming filmed.
10th March-
We produced our anamatic storyboard and uploaded this onto ur blogs today due to weather conditions outside. We didn't think it was suitable to be outside in the wind and rain as this wasn't part of our Thriller. So today we updated our storyboard adding in a few more shots we would like and why they would fit it comfortably with previous shots. We took several photographs of our storyboard and ordered them to make sense and then uploaded them onto Adobe. As a group we then gave a detailed description for each shot summarising the effects of what was taking place.
12th March-
TodayAlex searched the internet and fount several suitable choices of mysterious music. Unfortunately both me and Carl were excused from media today due to a five hour exam we sat for Photography. Alex however, continued on with our schedule without us. He provided us a numerous amounts of music from audio sounds and as a group we decided which one we thought was best suited for our thriller. Alex also began the opening credits. He chose a traditional looking font and kept a black background and used several different transitions however, we did change some of this but it was a start of our editing.
17th March-
Today we continued on with our groups filming. We used my little brother to play the role of the child. He was dressed in his school uniform and suited the role we gave him. We got a variety of shots to portray that Alex (main charcter) was watching and stalking the young boy (Jamie). Our group worked quickly and successfully and got a large amount of filming to add in fillers when it came later on to the editing. We also went to the park to film and had Jamie look like an innocent young boy having fun on the park. It built up the atmosphere as it created tension as the audience are unsure what the main character wants off the young boy. When arriving back into College we captured our filming so next lesson we could continue on with our editing.
18th March-
We began our editing and started by played with the credits. We added several transitions in and often used fading to black as it gave it a eerie atmosphere. We had to be quick with the opening credits due to limited time. However it had to be slow at the same time to sense a sinister feel to our thriller. We also worked on our saturation and altered the lightness to give the sense of mysterious. We also worked on the speed duration through out every transition. We worked with dissolve transtions as they looked fluent and created a thriller that was easy to watch.
19th March-
Today we spent about three hours finalising our editing. Ensuring that the entire thriller made sense and looked fluent to create comfort for our veiwers. Today we were picking up on little things to ensure that our grade could be as high as possible. We ensure that the shots fitted in with the music and when the music turned dramatic the scene comprimised this. After completing our first draft we had to download it onto a DVD for our teacher to mark. However, for some apparent reason it would not download due to this complication Alex uploaded it onto his blog so therefore, we reached the deadline as Miss could analyse it off his blog and give us improvments for our next lesson.
24th March-
Today we were given a grade for our final peice so far. Our group got a 'B' Grade and a list of several things to be improved. We also were given the opportunity to update our blogs if neccessary.
Our Feedback:
*0:40 boy on climbing frame- this is, or looks like, a still, not a video- swap for another clip*
*the initial swing shot might be better within the titile sequence eg- title/ swing/ title/ swing/ title/ boy on climbing frame etc.*
*1:05 is the boy walking away from the park in slow mo? It therefore, doesn't look natural*
*Alex looks into the camera during the smoking scene- (cut this)*
*Music suddenly cuts at the end- change this*
*REPRISAL should stay on for lonher at the enf and then fade out with the music*
*Need to create more of a threat about Alex- try a straight cut from his face on the swing*
*Some sections don't quite make sence eg why is boy running down the alley- he doesn't realise that he is being followed, so why run?*
*Sound effects- what are they? are they voices?*
*A heart beat effect might add to the tension.*
26th March, 7th, 9th and 16th April:
We continued with uploading our blogs today, ensuring that everything was up to date.
21st, 23rd and 30th April:
I have completed all the corrections for my thriller.
On our first meeting our group sat down to initiate our ideas. We created mindmaps, bulleted lists and a summary of our intentions including starting points, location, props and costume coming up with our general overview. Our group worked quickly and successfully to achieve that we had both a completed and detailed plan. All three of us brought forward many imaginative ideas however we had to narrow it down to one main idea that we would focus on.
17th February & 24th February-
We continued our planning and began to plan a storyboard that would include the different camera angles and the effect on the audience. We also drew images of different shots that would portray a variety of interesting shots creating a mysterious atmosphere. Our group communicated well and came up with several title names for our Thriller. Our final name (Reprisal) was decided as a group decision. This fitted in well as the deifinition of Reprisal was to take something back.
The lay out of a storyboard, helped us through the process of our filming and editing as it gave us a good understanding of what we wanted to include such as, the camera angles, who would be in the shot, what the shot would be portraying and what is going to be revealed. The order was very easy to follow and our group worked sucessfully together.
26th February-
Our group continued on with our planning, we worked at a table brainstorming ideas. We went into detail about costume, and what each character would be wearing and why this was our choice. We also spoke about using several props that could portray Alex (main character) to look intimidating and sinister. We also jotted down our actors/actresses and what role they were going to take.
3rd March-
Today we progressed to going out of college and visiting our location. We walked down to into Stapleford and decided where would be best to film. Due to William Lilley Infants School having children on the premises we thought it would be ideal to ring and ask permition to film the school incase of any child protection laws. The school were very understanding and allowed our group to film the school as part of our Thriller. That day we also took several photographs of the settings to give us a wider understanding. When returning back to College, we planned out our filming schedule and when all our filming would take place. Ensuring that we all had equal parts of filming with the video camera.
5th March-
This day was an unfortunate day, we went out and began filming all our shots and worked very quickly and sufficient. However, when returning back to class and watching the entire film back we noticed that shots were shaken, and close ups looked like a home video. This seemed like a waste of two hours however, it helped us develop our thriller further. Even though we were an hour behind we are going to catch up in the next lesson ensuring we work quickly to get the filming filmed.
10th March-
We produced our anamatic storyboard and uploaded this onto ur blogs today due to weather conditions outside. We didn't think it was suitable to be outside in the wind and rain as this wasn't part of our Thriller. So today we updated our storyboard adding in a few more shots we would like and why they would fit it comfortably with previous shots. We took several photographs of our storyboard and ordered them to make sense and then uploaded them onto Adobe. As a group we then gave a detailed description for each shot summarising the effects of what was taking place.
12th March-
TodayAlex searched the internet and fount several suitable choices of mysterious music. Unfortunately both me and Carl were excused from media today due to a five hour exam we sat for Photography. Alex however, continued on with our schedule without us. He provided us a numerous amounts of music from audio sounds and as a group we decided which one we thought was best suited for our thriller. Alex also began the opening credits. He chose a traditional looking font and kept a black background and used several different transitions however, we did change some of this but it was a start of our editing.
17th March-
Today we continued on with our groups filming. We used my little brother to play the role of the child. He was dressed in his school uniform and suited the role we gave him. We got a variety of shots to portray that Alex (main charcter) was watching and stalking the young boy (Jamie). Our group worked quickly and successfully and got a large amount of filming to add in fillers when it came later on to the editing. We also went to the park to film and had Jamie look like an innocent young boy having fun on the park. It built up the atmosphere as it created tension as the audience are unsure what the main character wants off the young boy. When arriving back into College we captured our filming so next lesson we could continue on with our editing.
18th March-
We began our editing and started by played with the credits. We added several transitions in and often used fading to black as it gave it a eerie atmosphere. We had to be quick with the opening credits due to limited time. However it had to be slow at the same time to sense a sinister feel to our thriller. We also worked on our saturation and altered the lightness to give the sense of mysterious. We also worked on the speed duration through out every transition. We worked with dissolve transtions as they looked fluent and created a thriller that was easy to watch.
19th March-
Today we spent about three hours finalising our editing. Ensuring that the entire thriller made sense and looked fluent to create comfort for our veiwers. Today we were picking up on little things to ensure that our grade could be as high as possible. We ensure that the shots fitted in with the music and when the music turned dramatic the scene comprimised this. After completing our first draft we had to download it onto a DVD for our teacher to mark. However, for some apparent reason it would not download due to this complication Alex uploaded it onto his blog so therefore, we reached the deadline as Miss could analyse it off his blog and give us improvments for our next lesson.
24th March-
Today we were given a grade for our final peice so far. Our group got a 'B' Grade and a list of several things to be improved. We also were given the opportunity to update our blogs if neccessary.
Our Feedback:
*0:40 boy on climbing frame- this is, or looks like, a still, not a video- swap for another clip*
*the initial swing shot might be better within the titile sequence eg- title/ swing/ title/ swing/ title/ boy on climbing frame etc.*
*1:05 is the boy walking away from the park in slow mo? It therefore, doesn't look natural*
*Alex looks into the camera during the smoking scene- (cut this)*
*Music suddenly cuts at the end- change this*
*REPRISAL should stay on for lonher at the enf and then fade out with the music*
*Need to create more of a threat about Alex- try a straight cut from his face on the swing*
*Some sections don't quite make sence eg why is boy running down the alley- he doesn't realise that he is being followed, so why run?*
*Sound effects- what are they? are they voices?*
*A heart beat effect might add to the tension.*
26th March, 7th, 9th and 16th April:
We continued with uploading our blogs today, ensuring that everything was up to date.
21st, 23rd and 30th April:
I have completed all the corrections for my thriller.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Our Chosen Locations:
Why Do We Think That They Will Be Suitable?..Our Thriller is about school children. The school will be a perfect place to film as it fits in with our thriller story. We have rang and asked for permission and the school were very understanding. Our group are looking forward to starting our filming as we have come up with several interesting ideas.
We also are going to steal the sound of the children playing in the playground. This will create a realistic and believable atmosphere in our thriller as it will be played over the music to add extra effect and create a atmosphere for our audience.
Here Are Some Photographs Of Our Location:
This image is taken outside the school near the railings. The railings will add extra effect as we will be able to take depth of field shots of the gate and add them in our Thriller, to create the sense of mystery. This effect will focus on the third angle and blur what seems to be far away, so therefore, it will create a sense of mystery for the audience.
Here is just a clearer shot of where we will be shooting and filming our film. As you can see, their is plenty of open space allowing us to take different angle shots around. This will help create an effect on our audience.
Here we are going to have Alex (Our main character), leaning on the garages, he is going to look menacing and threatening to help portray the boys vulnerability.
Health and Safety Hazards*
Our group will need to ensure we think about the following when filming:
*Don't linger around anyone's house- as you could create them to feel uncomfortable
*Be careful what props you use- no guns (as this could scare the public if in a public place).
*Ensure that our group are not working loudly and creating and abrupt scene for the neighbourhood).
*When using a school ensure you ask for permission.
*Be very careful when filming on the roads, due to passing cars.
*When using public cars ask for permission before just filming them.
*Use children you know, do not just assume that you can use and children.
*Be subtle with camera equipment for your own saftey (prevent muggings)
*Be careful what props you use- no guns (as this could scare the public if in a public place).
*Ensure that our group are not working loudly and creating and abrupt scene for the neighbourhood).
*When using a school ensure you ask for permission.
*Be very careful when filming on the roads, due to passing cars.
*When using public cars ask for permission before just filming them.
*Use children you know, do not just assume that you can use and children.
*Be subtle with camera equipment for your own saftey (prevent muggings)
Timeline For Our Main Project*
Our schedule to complete our Thriller, This includes:
*Planning*
*Filming*
*Editing*
It gives us a basic timeline as it shows us when things should be completed by, it helps give us a better understanding as it sets us a timeline and we have to acheive the deadlines.
DATE* What We Will Be Doing...* Completed..
12th Feb: Begin Planning (Brainstorming ideas) /
17th Feb: Continue Planning (include a Storyboard) /
24th Feb: Completed a detailed storyboard /
26th Feb: Complete all Planning (including props, costume ect) /
3rd Mar: Went to visted locations /
5th Mar: Anamatic Storyboard /
10th Mar: Start Filiming /
12th Mar: Research Audio Sounds /
16th Mar: More Filming /
17th Mar: Final Filming /
18th Mar: Editing /
19th Mar: Editing (hand in first draft) /
24th Mar: Get feedback and update blog /
Have we kept to our schedule?
24th Feb: My Point Of View
Our group have been very consistant on deadlines. We have met all deadlines and kept everything updated. Our group work very progressively to all our work is so far meeting our deadlines. I therefore, am very proud of the way my group are working with one another.
5th March: My Point Of View
Our group have completed a very detailed plan and have worked hard achieving a good first base. We need to continue working hard whilst filming and editing now to achieve a grade 'A' which is my targetand it is an achievable grade.
17th March: My Point Of View
My group have worked extremely hard on the filming and editing and the shots that we have got look great and will create tension for our viewers. We need to work extremely hard now to reach our deadling which is in two days as our final draft is due in.
19th March: My Point Of View
WAHOO!*
We reached our deadline, and handed in a tense, eerie atmosphere thriller. Now we just have to wait for our feedback.
*Planning*
*Filming*
*Editing*
It gives us a basic timeline as it shows us when things should be completed by, it helps give us a better understanding as it sets us a timeline and we have to acheive the deadlines.
DATE* What We Will Be Doing...* Completed..
12th Feb: Begin Planning (Brainstorming ideas) /
17th Feb: Continue Planning (include a Storyboard) /
24th Feb: Completed a detailed storyboard /
26th Feb: Complete all Planning (including props, costume ect) /
3rd Mar: Went to visted locations /
5th Mar: Anamatic Storyboard /
10th Mar: Start Filiming /
12th Mar: Research Audio Sounds /
16th Mar: More Filming /
17th Mar: Final Filming /
18th Mar: Editing /
19th Mar: Editing (hand in first draft) /
24th Mar: Get feedback and update blog /
Have we kept to our schedule?
24th Feb: My Point Of View
Our group have been very consistant on deadlines. We have met all deadlines and kept everything updated. Our group work very progressively to all our work is so far meeting our deadlines. I therefore, am very proud of the way my group are working with one another.
5th March: My Point Of View
Our group have completed a very detailed plan and have worked hard achieving a good first base. We need to continue working hard whilst filming and editing now to achieve a grade 'A' which is my targetand it is an achievable grade.
17th March: My Point Of View
My group have worked extremely hard on the filming and editing and the shots that we have got look great and will create tension for our viewers. We need to work extremely hard now to reach our deadling which is in two days as our final draft is due in.
19th March: My Point Of View
WAHOO!*
We reached our deadline, and handed in a tense, eerie atmosphere thriller. Now we just have to wait for our feedback.
Internet Research Into Genre:
Psychological thriller: (relevant to our Thriller)*
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. This genre often incorporates elements from the mystery genre in addition to the typical traits of the thriller genre.
Generally, thrillers focus on plot over character, and therefore emphasize intense and physical action over the character's psyche. Psychological thrillers tend to reverse this formula to a certain degree, emphasizing the characters just as much, if not more so, than the plot.
The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from within one solitary character where characters must resolve conflicts with their own minds. Usually, this conflict is an effort to understand something that has happened to them. These conflicts are made more vivid with physical expressions of the conflict in the means of either physical manifestations, or physical torsions of the characters at play.
Summary: Is where a mood of high tension and excitement is created mainly as the result of psychological drama and dilemma.
This research has helped me with my Thriller as it is very similar to our main character. This information helps portray that our genre is a Psychological thriller as our main character has had a rough past and been mis-treated by his family leading him now to feel alone and isolated. This is what has made him like he is. He has not been taught right from wrong and feels that he is helping the children when in actual fact he is hurting both them and their families.
Quoted from:openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/glossary/view.php
Target Audience Research And Statistics:
The target audience depends on the kind of thriller the film is. Like all genres, there are sub-genres and to really give an accurate answer to your question you would have to specify what kind of thriller the film is.
Silence of the Lambs and No Country for Old Men are considered the two best thrillers in recent memory. Their target audience is aimed at young male adults. Meanwhile, there are those thrillers that are borderline horror films, such as M. Night Shyamalan films The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village. Since they're close to horror (and horror films target teenage girls), the demographic would be slightly different and it would aimed at younger audience and often they are made to make the female feel comfortable. The legal thrillers (Fracture, Runaway Jury) and crime thrillers (Memento, Se7en) that target a more mature sophisticated audience. Then there is classic thrillers (any Alfred Hitchcock film) that are rated PG, but are intended for adults.
But if you just need a target audience for a generic thriller film. Then the young adult demographic from 18-25 are your safest bet. They are interested in the action packed films and can relate to the films. The inspiration of fighting and gun crime also is provided in thrillers and this is one possible reason why Thrillers are so popular.
More Research :
Psycho’ Thrillers like the majority of other conventional thrillers focus on the audiences reception, thrillers are about provoking a reaction from the viewer through extreme suspense and excitement. ‘Psycho’ has a fairly fast pace and generally focuses more of plot than character as thrillers are known to do. This information helps me understand what my thriller needs to include, as we have chosen to have a stalker as our main idea.
Research into openings:
It is said in a documentary that a good beginning must make the audience feel that they don't know nearly enough yet, and at the same time make sure that the audience doesn’t know too little.
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. This genre often incorporates elements from the mystery genre in addition to the typical traits of the thriller genre.
Generally, thrillers focus on plot over character, and therefore emphasize intense and physical action over the character's psyche. Psychological thrillers tend to reverse this formula to a certain degree, emphasizing the characters just as much, if not more so, than the plot.
The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from within one solitary character where characters must resolve conflicts with their own minds. Usually, this conflict is an effort to understand something that has happened to them. These conflicts are made more vivid with physical expressions of the conflict in the means of either physical manifestations, or physical torsions of the characters at play.
Summary: Is where a mood of high tension and excitement is created mainly as the result of psychological drama and dilemma.
This research has helped me with my Thriller as it is very similar to our main character. This information helps portray that our genre is a Psychological thriller as our main character has had a rough past and been mis-treated by his family leading him now to feel alone and isolated. This is what has made him like he is. He has not been taught right from wrong and feels that he is helping the children when in actual fact he is hurting both them and their families.
Quoted from:openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/glossary/view.php
Target Audience Research And Statistics:
The target audience depends on the kind of thriller the film is. Like all genres, there are sub-genres and to really give an accurate answer to your question you would have to specify what kind of thriller the film is.
Silence of the Lambs and No Country for Old Men are considered the two best thrillers in recent memory. Their target audience is aimed at young male adults. Meanwhile, there are those thrillers that are borderline horror films, such as M. Night Shyamalan films The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village. Since they're close to horror (and horror films target teenage girls), the demographic would be slightly different and it would aimed at younger audience and often they are made to make the female feel comfortable. The legal thrillers (Fracture, Runaway Jury) and crime thrillers (Memento, Se7en) that target a more mature sophisticated audience. Then there is classic thrillers (any Alfred Hitchcock film) that are rated PG, but are intended for adults.
But if you just need a target audience for a generic thriller film. Then the young adult demographic from 18-25 are your safest bet. They are interested in the action packed films and can relate to the films. The inspiration of fighting and gun crime also is provided in thrillers and this is one possible reason why Thrillers are so popular.
More Research :
Psycho’ Thrillers like the majority of other conventional thrillers focus on the audiences reception, thrillers are about provoking a reaction from the viewer through extreme suspense and excitement. ‘Psycho’ has a fairly fast pace and generally focuses more of plot than character as thrillers are known to do. This information helps me understand what my thriller needs to include, as we have chosen to have a stalker as our main idea.
Research into openings:
It is said in a documentary that a good beginning must make the audience feel that they don't know nearly enough yet, and at the same time make sure that the audience doesn’t know too little.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Pre-limanary Task *Final*
Media Preliminary task from Nico Turner on Vimeo.
What I Like About My Film and What I think worked well:
*I think t
hat the music helps create a tense atmosphere.
*The editing is very precise and helps create a believable scene.
What would I change about my film to improve it:
*Unfortunately due to limited technology our ending did make the film look unreal, however if we had more time and better technology this could have been improved.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Questionnaire Results*
Results:
I collated all my results and analysed them to get a better understanding of what my target audience would want....
Question One:
Thriller action based film is a popular choice, these types of films are well liked and several people watch them. My first question help me understand whether people enjoy watching Thrillers. It is easy to see that most people enjoy watching them as only 2 people out of the 15 disagreed and said they prefer to watch something different.
Question Two:
My results again showed that only 2 out of the 15 people that were asked do not enjoy Thriller films. This portrays that Thriller films are a popular genre of film and are enjoyed by many different audiences.
Question Three:
Question three's results gave me a clear understanding of what the audience enjoy about Thrillers. This is going to help me and my group as I'll ensure to make my Thriller exciting and fearful. I am going to create both a confusing but tense scene at the start to ensure my audience are on edge. I will give away little clues to give the audience some understanding of what is going on however there will be a twist. The antagonist will be played my a man and the hero will not be revealed in the opening sequence. I will ensure that my Thriller is exciting and exotic and the music used is going to spook out the audience.
Question Four:
This question didn't surprise me. I personally enjoying watching films at night, in the dark as it makes it more tense to watch. However our scenes will work better in the day as we have set the scene to finish at the end of a school day. However due to these results we have decided to film when it is getting darker as in Winter at four o'clock it begins to gradually get darker. We think that this will work better. It will make our Thriller more eerie and create suspense throughout.
Question Five: What Fears You Most Out Of The Following:
I was impressed by these results, as in our scene we have a paedophile following a group of young school boys home. It interests me that seven people would fear being followed. Therefore, hopefully this scene will make the audience feel anxious and on edge as they are unsure what the man wants from the little boy and what the little boy has done wrong to be followed.
I collated all my results and analysed them to get a better understanding of what my target audience would want....
Question One:
Thriller action based film is a popular choice, these types of films are well liked and several people watch them. My first question help me understand whether people enjoy watching Thrillers. It is easy to see that most people enjoy watching them as only 2 people out of the 15 disagreed and said they prefer to watch something different.
Question Two:
My results again showed that only 2 out of the 15 people that were asked do not enjoy Thriller films. This portrays that Thriller films are a popular genre of film and are enjoyed by many different audiences.
Question Three:
Question three's results gave me a clear understanding of what the audience enjoy about Thrillers. This is going to help me and my group as I'll ensure to make my Thriller exciting and fearful. I am going to create both a confusing but tense scene at the start to ensure my audience are on edge. I will give away little clues to give the audience some understanding of what is going on however there will be a twist. The antagonist will be played my a man and the hero will not be revealed in the opening sequence. I will ensure that my Thriller is exciting and exotic and the music used is going to spook out the audience.
Question Four:
This question didn't surprise me. I personally enjoying watching films at night, in the dark as it makes it more tense to watch. However our scenes will work better in the day as we have set the scene to finish at the end of a school day. However due to these results we have decided to film when it is getting darker as in Winter at four o'clock it begins to gradually get darker. We think that this will work better. It will make our Thriller more eerie and create suspense throughout.
Question Five: What Fears You Most Out Of The Following:
I was impressed by these results, as in our scene we have a paedophile following a group of young school boys home. It interests me that seven people would fear being followed. Therefore, hopefully this scene will make the audience feel anxious and on edge as they are unsure what the man wants from the little boy and what the little boy has done wrong to be followed.
A mini Questionnaire to help my research develop:
1) Do You Watch Thrillers?
Yes (13)
No (2)
2) Do You Enjoy Watching Thrillers?
Yes (13)
No (2)
3) What Attracts You To Thrillers?
'Thrillers are exciting'.
'You never know what is going to happen'.
'They always have a twist'.
'They leave you on edge throughout the entire film'
'Several clues are given but still it is hard to work out what is happening'
'I like to see realistic events, they scare me more'.
'Their good to watch as rhey are very interesting'.
'The exotic settings highlight the film'.
'The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men", therefore its nice to see the men working hard'.
'They are fearful'.
'Enjoy being on egde and getting spooked out'.
'The music is very clever'.
4) What Time Of Day Do You Prefer A Thriller To Be Set In?
a) Morning (2)
b) Afternoon (0)
c) Night (13)
5) What Fears You Most Out Of The Following:
A dangerous looking man walking towards you? (7)
A clown laughing? (1)
A mystery car that seems to be following you? (7)
Yes (13)
No (2)
2) Do You Enjoy Watching Thrillers?
Yes (13)
No (2)
3) What Attracts You To Thrillers?
'Thrillers are exciting'.
'You never know what is going to happen'.
'They always have a twist'.
'They leave you on edge throughout the entire film'
'Several clues are given but still it is hard to work out what is happening'
'I like to see realistic events, they scare me more'.
'Their good to watch as rhey are very interesting'.
'The exotic settings highlight the film'.
'The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men", therefore its nice to see the men working hard'.
'They are fearful'.
'Enjoy being on egde and getting spooked out'.
'The music is very clever'.
4) What Time Of Day Do You Prefer A Thriller To Be Set In?
a) Morning (2)
b) Afternoon (0)
c) Night (13)
5) What Fears You Most Out Of The Following:
A dangerous looking man walking towards you? (7)
A clown laughing? (1)
A mystery car that seems to be following you? (7)
Titles For Our Thriller
In His Sights
On Track
Captured
Follower
Preditor
Prowler
Intruder
Imprison
Reprisal: FINAL TITLE NAME
We decided that this name was well suited, it represented the characters emotion of revenge and anger. It also sounds very edgy and catchy, so therefore the audience will be interested in the film.
Our group worked well together to come up with this idea. We are going to ensure that the font used will be eye catchy too to match and compromise the titles name.
On Track
Captured
Follower
Preditor
Prowler
Intruder
Imprison
Reprisal: FINAL TITLE NAME
We decided that this name was well suited, it represented the characters emotion of revenge and anger. It also sounds very edgy and catchy, so therefore the audience will be interested in the film.
Our group worked well together to come up with this idea. We are going to ensure that the font used will be eye catchy too to match and compromise the titles name.
Devolping Ideas*
Different Scenes We Would Like In Our Opening:
*A mysterious man walking down the street...
Of course this man will be the paedophile, however the audience will not know this.
*Children playing on the playground...
*Close Ups Of the children on the swings (their enjoying themselves)
*A vision of the school bus
*A Shot Of the playground and the children leaving the gate.
*A mysterious man walking down the street...
Of course this man will be the paedophile, however the audience will not know this.
*Children playing on the playground...
*Close Ups Of the children on the swings (their enjoying themselves)
*A vision of the school bus
*A Shot Of the playground and the children leaving the gate.
Actors/Actresses:
It is important who we choose as we also get marked on the acting, therefore our actors have been chosen specifically.
Alex (a member of my group has agreed he will play the role of the paedophile), he is tall and has black hair which will work well as we can make Alex look suspicious. He is a very over the top person, who will be great for the role. He has taken GCSE Expressive Arts and passed with a excelling grade B. This exam was taken in year 9 and Alex has continued on with his drama work. He is a very confident character when not acting so we will have no problems when it comes to him acting for our Thriller.
The children we are are going to film, are family members. (Gender: male, Age: 10)
Jamie (Jade's Little Brother), is playing the role of the victimised child. He is a young boy and is present at Fairfield Primary School. He will be wearing their school uniform when acting. He again is a confident character and hopefully this will portray through the filming we use of him.
I am confident with both of my actors, and I am hoping they work well together.
Alex (a member of my group has agreed he will play the role of the paedophile), he is tall and has black hair which will work well as we can make Alex look suspicious. He is a very over the top person, who will be great for the role. He has taken GCSE Expressive Arts and passed with a excelling grade B. This exam was taken in year 9 and Alex has continued on with his drama work. He is a very confident character when not acting so we will have no problems when it comes to him acting for our Thriller.
The children we are are going to film, are family members. (Gender: male, Age: 10)
Jamie (Jade's Little Brother), is playing the role of the victimised child. He is a young boy and is present at Fairfield Primary School. He will be wearing their school uniform when acting. He again is a confident character and hopefully this will portray through the filming we use of him.
I am confident with both of my actors, and I am hoping they work well together.
Final Costumes*
Man (Paedophile): Will be dressed in:
*Dark Clothing- Long Coat, black trousers and shoes.
We want him to look dangerous however, he must not look suspicious stood outside of the school as this will cause concern of the parents. We want the character to make the audience feel tense when they see him, as he will look dodgey and this will make the audience frightened however, he still must fit in, in the neighbourhood.
*Dark Clothing- Long Coat, black trousers and shoes.
We want him to look dangerous however, he must not look suspicious stood outside of the school as this will cause concern of the parents. We want the character to make the audience feel tense when they see him, as he will look dodgey and this will make the audience frightened however, he still must fit in, in the neighbourhood.
Final Idea*
To get to our final idea we used several of our initial ideas to help create the best final outcome. We merged a variety of our ideas and came up with:
- a character who is physiologically disjointed as he has been neglected by his family. He was abused physically as a child leaving him in a mentally in stable state, who now as an adult pursues the lifestyle of a obsessive, compulsive paedophile.
In the opening sequence that we have to produce we are going to have several scenes, here is a quick brief:
*man stood at school gate, watching the children
*Children leave school, man follows
*Series of events happen on the way home, man watches
*Children split up and leave one child on their own.
*Man attacks child.
How well my group worked to create a final idea:
My group is very motivated, I came up with lots of ideas to help contribute to our final idea. Our group quickly got through the beginning of the planning so we could continue to work on the more specific aspects. We then began to go into detail about the important things such as, camera angles we were going to use to ensure the audience were unease, we also began to think about the costumes that we would use to make the thriller look believable and realistic, the editing and how it was going to work in order. We also thought about the actors/actresses we were going to use to also make the thriller look believable.
- a character who is physiologically disjointed as he has been neglected by his family. He was abused physically as a child leaving him in a mentally in stable state, who now as an adult pursues the lifestyle of a obsessive, compulsive paedophile.
In the opening sequence that we have to produce we are going to have several scenes, here is a quick brief:
*man stood at school gate, watching the children
*Children leave school, man follows
*Series of events happen on the way home, man watches
*Children split up and leave one child on their own.
*Man attacks child.
How well my group worked to create a final idea:
My group is very motivated, I came up with lots of ideas to help contribute to our final idea. Our group quickly got through the beginning of the planning so we could continue to work on the more specific aspects. We then began to go into detail about the important things such as, camera angles we were going to use to ensure the audience were unease, we also began to think about the costumes that we would use to make the thriller look believable and realistic, the editing and how it was going to work in order. We also thought about the actors/actresses we were going to use to also make the thriller look believable.
My Final Group*
I was pleased to be working with both Alex and Carl. We started by brainstorming initial ideas to furthermore work towards an exciting, suspense thriller.
Ideas To Start And Develop:
Idea One: *Car Scene*
Ideas To Start And Develop:
Idea One: *Car Scene*
-The lighting would be dark and mysterious
-The unexpected would happen
-The weather conditions would be dangerous (heavy rain) creating a tense atmosphere.
-The scene would be set in the middle of no-where to make the audience feel on edge.
-The car would be being followed and then a major crash would take place.
We decided against this first idea, as we thought that to film a car crash it would be difficult. It would also be difficult to film a person in the dark and in the car as we do not have professional equipment to use.
Idea Two: *Kidnap*
-We would see flashes of a girl tied up to create a sense of confusion as the audience will not understand what has happened or what is about to happen.
-The lighting would be very dark and it would be hard to see what sort of state the girl is in.
-The setting would be in a very old building, to create the sense of it looking gloomy and cold.
This idea has potential however it is very similar to my first pre-liminary task and i want to show that my work can vary. I think that this idea is very simple and can not reach the best of my ability.
Idea Three: *Police Investigation*
-A murder has taken place (dramatic, tense)
-A intense interview would take place with a suspected killer and the officer
(violence may be used here)-Flash backs to show the arrest (inform the audience what has happened).
Idea Four: *Stalker*
Could Involve:
-a man following young girls from the school gates to the school bus and then home
-a group of men obsessed with a group of girls
-an old man who is coming back for revenge on a family and takes it out on the daughter.
How We Would Show It*
- Collage of photographs on the wall of the victims
- Candle lit room to create a mysterious feeling
- A main character who is the peadophile who has an obsession with one girl inparticular.
Idea Five: *
-A man who was neglected by his family when he was younger, this is what makes the charcater be so violent and alone now. He has come to get his own back and have revenge on his mother's new children.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Groups Diary*
Planning and Research:
We all planned our work very well and completed a very detailed plan to ensure it was easier to film. This was an advantage as we had everything written down to prevent anything being forgotten. After 1 hour of planning (describing our costume, props, location, actors and actresses), we began to film our 30 second Thriller (Room 60). We scheduled our timetable and worked very hard and very quickly to ensure that we kept to it.
Filming:
We filmed the different scenes in different rooms to create confusion for the audience as it creates tension as the audience are on edge and do not know what to expect. We used several different camera angles to create the sense of mystery. We tried to make the girl tied up (myself) look vulnerable and scared, and contrast her to the main character (Carl) who would look empowering and superior in the scene.
Editing:
Editing:
Our group experimented with the colour correction until we got it perfect, we adjusted the saturation to give it a dull sense creating an eerie and spooky atmosphere. We also used backing sounds from Video Copilots sound bank and deepened some of the voices to make them sound scarier and more empowering.The white font used was for the title of our film, was Copper Gothic Light which gave it a more sinister feel as the font is traditional.
For the TV effect used at the beginning a simple TV fx is used, this gives it the feel that a camera is watching over the tied up girl and adds to the sense of mystery. It is creepy and makes the girl look vulnerable. The audience are then left unsure what is happening?.. and where she is?
Props that we are going to use in our Preliminary Task*
Props*
A close up is going to be used to create tension as we do not know where the opening of the door is going to lead.
*Knife :
The prop that is going to be used to kill one of our characters. This will help make the scene believable
*Room Sign :
Add to realism.
*Chair:
Again... making it believable
*Piece Of Material:
That is going to strangle the girl, to make the scene look realistic and believable, this will also show the audience that she has been tied up however, they will not know why and what for.
*Briefcase :
Is used to add a suspicious feeling about what is inside it and why the main character is using it.
*Door Handle :
*Door Handle :
A close up is going to be used to create tension as we do not know where the opening of the door is going to lead.
*Knife :
The prop that is going to be used to kill one of our characters. This will help make the scene believable
*Room Sign :
Room 60, will add to the tension, as again the audience are unsure what this means.
*Tables:Add to realism.
*Chair:
Again... making it believable
*Piece Of Material:
That is going to strangle the girl, to make the scene look realistic and believable, this will also show the audience that she has been tied up however, they will not know why and what for.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
What Is A Thriller?
A Thriller is a suspenseful adventure. Their are different types of Thriller film types. They each intend to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and nerve wracking tension. Thriller and suspense films are virtually synonymous and interchangeable categorizations, with similar characteristics and features.
Their are many different types of Thrillers, such as...
*Crime Thrillers*
*Disaster Thrillers*
*Drama Thrillers*
*Eco-Thrillers*
*Horror Thrillers*
*Erotic Thrillers*
More Detail Provided:
*Crime Thrillers* : This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers. They often offer a suspenseful account of successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s). Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects.
*Disaster thriller*: The main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, or some sort of nuclear disaster.
*Drama Thrillers*: The story consists of elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists.
These helped me wider my understanding of thriller films. I provided me me good potential ideas to put forward to my group as I wanted my thriller to be the best it could be.
Films include the following:
Murders, Robberies, Chases, Shootouts.
Thrillers are often set in wholly or partly exotic settings such as:
* Foreign Cities
* Deserts
* Polar Regions
* High Seas
Examples Of Thrillers:
*Dracula
*Heart Of Darkness
*First Blood
*The Riddle Of The Sands
Their are many different types of Thrillers, such as...
*Crime Thrillers*
*Disaster Thrillers*
*Drama Thrillers*
*Eco-Thrillers*
*Horror Thrillers*
*Erotic Thrillers*
More Detail Provided:
*Crime Thrillers* : This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers. They often offer a suspenseful account of successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s). Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects.
*Disaster thriller*: The main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, or some sort of nuclear disaster.
*Drama Thrillers*: The story consists of elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists.
These helped me wider my understanding of thriller films. I provided me me good potential ideas to put forward to my group as I wanted my thriller to be the best it could be.
Films include the following:
Murders, Robberies, Chases, Shootouts.
Thrillers are often set in wholly or partly exotic settings such as:
* Foreign Cities
* Deserts
* Polar Regions
* High Seas
Examples Of Thrillers:
*Dracula
*Heart Of Darkness
*First Blood
*The Riddle Of The Sands
Thriller Conventions*
* A crime usually takes place at the core of the narrative (often murder).
* A complex narrative structure, with false clues and resolutions (red herrings).
* A narrative pattern of establishing enigma's which the viewer expects to be resolved.
* A protagonist who is systematically dis empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the protagonist.
*Extra ordinary events happening in ordinary situations
*Themes Of Identity
*Themes of Mirroring
*Themes Of Voyeurism
* A protagonist with a flaw which is exploited by the antagonist.
*The title sequence often reflects an aspect of characters physiological state.
*Their is often a scene at the end of the film where the protagonist is in danger.
*Mis-en-scene which echo's or mirrors the protagonists right.
* A complex narrative structure, with false clues and resolutions (red herrings).
* A narrative pattern of establishing enigma's which the viewer expects to be resolved.
* A protagonist who is systematically dis empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the protagonist.
*Extra ordinary events happening in ordinary situations
*Themes Of Identity
*Themes of Mirroring
*Themes Of Voyeurism
* A protagonist with a flaw which is exploited by the antagonist.
*The title sequence often reflects an aspect of characters physiological state.
*Their is often a scene at the end of the film where the protagonist is in danger.
*Mis-en-scene which echo's or mirrors the protagonists right.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Main Task*
Things To Remember When I Start The Camera Work:
*Clean Lens- check the aspect
*Effects are better than manual
*When recording, ensure you wait 5secs before acting. (Pre roll)
& after acting. (Pay roll)
CHECK WHITE BALANCE:
Otherwise...
When outside in winter: Blue Tint
When outside in Summer: Yellow
Inside Tint: Orange
*Clean Lens- check the aspect
*Effects are better than manual
*When recording, ensure you wait 5secs before acting. (Pre roll)
& after acting. (Pay roll)
CHECK WHITE BALANCE:
Otherwise...
When outside in winter: Blue Tint
When outside in Summer: Yellow
Inside Tint: Orange
* When you want ambient sounds, record the play over by using the camera with lens cap over the rest.
Simple Plan*
Man walks down the hallway
Opens the door slowly (create tension)
Walks into the room (audience still unsure on what is happening)
We then visual the young girl who is trapped and strapped up (Create confusion unsure what is happening)
Man walks over with briefcase, slams it down and the desk.
Conversation takes place here.
He walks round the table and then kills her.
Opens the door slowly (create tension)
Walks into the room (audience still unsure on what is happening)
We then visual the young girl who is trapped and strapped up (Create confusion unsure what is happening)
Man walks over with briefcase, slams it down and the desk.
Conversation takes place here.
He walks round the table and then kills her.
Costume For Our Preliminary Task*
Thriller Two- ‘What Lies Beneath’- Textual Analysis:
How does the opening of the film What Lies Beneath create tension, and what techniques and conventions are used to do so?
Lighting: The lighting is very gloomy, there is no bright lighting used and the sky is very grey. This makes the audience aware that something bad has occurred or about to. It makes the audience feel unease and leaves them on edge. The foggy air creates a sense of mystery and makes the audience feel nervous as it is a perfect setting for something horrific to take place.
Music: The non-diegetic music that is played throughout the entire sequence at the start is very gloomy. It seems spooky and makes the audience feel scared and frightened. It is all one tone and does not increase in pace which makes the audience feel tense as they are waiting for the bad to happen. There is also no dialogue so the audience are guessing what has happened and are actually in fact unsure on who is who and what is what.
Enigmas:
‘What has happened?’
‘Why is she leaving?’
‘Who is the girl in the photo?’
‘What role does she play?’
Narrative: The structure of the thriller is complex. The lighting is unclear and the weather conditions make it difficult for the audience to understand the plot at the start. This leaves the audience feeling nervous as they do not know what is going to happen, however they expecting something bad to happen.
The thriller also follows the conventions of that the title sequence often reflects an aspect of the characters psychological state. In this thriller it is easy to see that the mother is missing her daughter. She feels very alone and this is shown through her mopping around the house and keeping herself to herself. She is sorting through photos and when she finds one of her daughter she looks at the photo as though she is reminiscing. The audience however are not completely sure where the daughter is in the opening; therefore the opening intrigues the audience so they continue on watching the Thriller.
Lighting: The lighting is very gloomy, there is no bright lighting used and the sky is very grey. This makes the audience aware that something bad has occurred or about to. It makes the audience feel unease and leaves them on edge. The foggy air creates a sense of mystery and makes the audience feel nervous as it is a perfect setting for something horrific to take place.
Music: The non-diegetic music that is played throughout the entire sequence at the start is very gloomy. It seems spooky and makes the audience feel scared and frightened. It is all one tone and does not increase in pace which makes the audience feel tense as they are waiting for the bad to happen. There is also no dialogue so the audience are guessing what has happened and are actually in fact unsure on who is who and what is what.
Enigmas:
‘What has happened?’
‘Why is she leaving?’
‘Who is the girl in the photo?’
‘What role does she play?’
Narrative: The structure of the thriller is complex. The lighting is unclear and the weather conditions make it difficult for the audience to understand the plot at the start. This leaves the audience feeling nervous as they do not know what is going to happen, however they expecting something bad to happen.
The thriller also follows the conventions of that the title sequence often reflects an aspect of the characters psychological state. In this thriller it is easy to see that the mother is missing her daughter. She feels very alone and this is shown through her mopping around the house and keeping herself to herself. She is sorting through photos and when she finds one of her daughter she looks at the photo as though she is reminiscing. The audience however are not completely sure where the daughter is in the opening; therefore the opening intrigues the audience so they continue on watching the Thriller.
Thriller One- Blood Simple - Textual Analysis :
How does the opening of the film Blood Simple create tension, and what techniques and conventions are used to do so? 
Lighting: Several different lighting techniques are used throughout the opening of the film. The opening is very dark and gloomy to create a sense of mystery. The dark lighting creates the audience to feel unease and the tension increases as it is unclear to see what is happening. Many people fear the dark therefore; it forces the audience to feel suspense as they are anxiously waiting for something bad to occur. The lighting helps create a an unnerving opening scene and makes the audience want to continue watching the film.
Music: The music that is used throughout the opening of the thriller is created to seem edgy and makes the audience feel afraid. The audience are on edge about the unexpected and therefore, the
y fear that something awful is about to take place. The music is very quick and the pace increases to make it more eventful. When the music stops it leaves the audience tense as the pause is held for along period of time therefore, the audience are waiting for something to happen however, nothing does. This follows the conventions of thrillers as it tries to give you a clue about what is going to happen but it is false as the driver behind them waits for a moment and then continues on driving.
Enigmas:
‘Where Are They Going?’- The weather conditions are not safe for driving, so it creates the audience to feel that where they are driving to, must be important.
‘Why does she scream stop?’- Seems mystifying, but leaves the audience on edge as they feel that something is going to happen to them. However, nothing does.
Narrative: The structure of the thriller is complex. The lighting is unclear and the weather conditions make it difficult for the audience to understand the plot at the start. This leaves the audience feeling suspense as they do not know what is going to happen.
Camera Angles: The camera shoots them from the back making them look like silhouettes; this again creates a very mystery feel to the thriller. It forces the audience to try understand what is going on however, it is difficult to tell. We are unsure who the characters are, their relationships with one another and where the actual characters are going to.
Lighting: Several different lighting techniques are used throughout the opening of the film. The opening is very dark and gloomy to create a sense of mystery. The dark lighting creates the audience to feel unease and the tension increases as it is unclear to see what is happening. Many people fear the dark therefore; it forces the audience to feel suspense as they are anxiously waiting for something bad to occur. The lighting helps create a an unnerving opening scene and makes the audience want to continue watching the film.
Music: The music that is used throughout the opening of the thriller is created to seem edgy and makes the audience feel afraid. The audience are on edge about the unexpected and therefore, the
y fear that something awful is about to take place. The music is very quick and the pace increases to make it more eventful. When the music stops it leaves the audience tense as the pause is held for along period of time therefore, the audience are waiting for something to happen however, nothing does. This follows the conventions of thrillers as it tries to give you a clue about what is going to happen but it is false as the driver behind them waits for a moment and then continues on driving.Enigmas:
‘Where Are They Going?’- The weather conditions are not safe for driving, so it creates the audience to feel that where they are driving to, must be important.
‘Why does she scream stop?’- Seems mystifying, but leaves the audience on edge as they feel that something is going to happen to them. However, nothing does.
Narrative: The structure of the thriller is complex. The lighting is unclear and the weather conditions make it difficult for the audience to understand the plot at the start. This leaves the audience feeling suspense as they do not know what is going to happen.
Camera Angles: The camera shoots them from the back making them look like silhouettes; this again creates a very mystery feel to the thriller. It forces the audience to try understand what is going on however, it is difficult to tell. We are unsure who the characters are, their relationships with one another and where the actual characters are going to.
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