I will state the exact brief of the thriller production given which my group and I were aiming to accomplish below:
‘Film: The opening sequence of a new thriller, including titles, aimed at 15 or 18 certificate audience (approximately two minutes in duration).’ This essentially means that we were aiming to film two minutes of a beginning section in a new thriller using our knowledge and creativity. This included using preparation, editing and camera skills.
I was chosen by my media studies teacher to study with Frances Coyne, Tom Newton, and Josh Gemmell.
Before we started discussing our ideas we agreed that our target audience should be aimed at both males and females aged 15 and over.
From our previous study we had numerous group discussions with our class to highlight all of the thriller theories and sub-genres (see reference to ‘Section 1: The Thriller Genre’). I have also researched into examples of media products by watching opening scenes of different thriller films and annotating them, so that I am familiar with thriller theories and sub-genres. This enabled my ability to compare the researched products with eachother and to assist my group with ideas for development in our thriller film (see reference to ‘Section 2: Research Into Examples of Comparable Media Products’). It not only helped in this way as it made me understand that to create an authentic thriller film it is important to use the conventions that are commonly associated with the thriller genre, and that it can be an advantage to include thriller theories depending on the target audience.
Our product had similar traits in comparison to distributed films such as our variable use of codes, conventions, graphics and sound which created a thrilling illusion for the audience.
Firstly, in our media class we decided to develop a brainstorm with basic ideas for our thriller film. This was an advantageous task for our group as each person was able to state their own ideas and it aided us with a stimulus for our sequence (see reference to ‘Section 3: Brainstorm of content and classification of film’). We then created a questionnaire containing 20 opened and closed questions, and each person in our group handed out 10 questionnaires. After we collected them in we tallied up the results and wrote a conclusion for each of the answers. This was done to aid us with ideas on producing our thriller film (see reference to ‘Section 4: Audience Research’). After much thought, we decided to focus on producing a film that was based on a middle-aged man who is seeking for a murderous revenge on a young girl. We examined the results from our questionnaires and agreed to use a clear, non-linear narrative, with very little dialogue. We also wanted to include the theories partial vision by showing only certain objects, such as continuously filming the villain from behind and hiding most objects using close ups which made the audience feel uneasy and question. We used the transformed city by setting our thriller in a modern house because we believed that it would create a realistic and therefore thrilling atmosphere for the audience and make them feel that the circumstances in our thriller could possibly even happen to them. We used concealment and protraction by using very little dialogue so that the audience are unaware of what is going to happen, and this is where the question and answer module comes in to our thriller also. We thought that it would be effective if we used different camera angles such as close ups so that the audience can see the character’s reactions, mid-shots so that the audience is able to understand where the character is and what they are doing, and over-the-shoulder-shots to conceal things, with panning and zoom features.
We started to work as a group on our synopsis and treatment, character outlines and script, location sheets, and our storyboard to organise ourselves and obtain more ideas and opinions (see reference to ‘Sections 5, 6, 7 and 8). We did this as a whole group and individually as we each chose a task to complete for homework and eventually started to shoot our sequence.
I believe that our thriller production was an enjoyable one, as we obtained good feedback, researched helpful media products and creatively used the techniques required to thrill an audience. It might have been more exceptional if we used more graphical effects to create more tension for the audience in the sequence because we only used thee different effects which were ‘ghosting,’ ‘fade to white,’ and ‘colour correction’ however the results from our questionnaires stated that more people wanted us to use a range of graphics. We traditionally used a male killer in our film and a protagonist female victim because we thought it would be more believable to the audience and the characters are represented by their clothes and hair. The man is represented and stereotyped as different and mysterious because he has blonde hair, which is an uncommon hair colour for males, and the girl is stereotyped as a normal, pretty teenager because she has her hair beautifully styled and she is wearing plain clothes. The man is taller than the woman so that it signifies his power over the small teenage girl. At the start of the beginning sequence the girl is washing dishes and is in the house alone – this suggests to the audience that she idolises her father and looks after the house for him. It could also suggest that she does not have a mother figure, so is taking on the responsibilities one. There are only two characters in our thriller as we thought that it would create more tension by having an almost desolate house being intruded by a stranger.
I would like to see our film possibly distributed on a film-makers website such as the high-populated and free of charge ‘YouTube’, which allows anyone to upload a variety of categorised videos (www.YouTube.com), or the ‘Flick Rocket’ website which is completely focused on distributing films and encourages others to buy them (www.FlickRocket.com). I would advertise to cause an escalation of the audience popularity. The reason for this choice is because I believe that for our first professional production our thriller was successful, however I think that it was not as up to standards in comparison to well-budgeted and professional distributed films such as ‘Hannibal Rising’. I believe that distributing ours on a website could be achieved because our production was logically pieced together, our audience feedback was positive, and we are more experienced with the camera functions and editing software which would enable us to create bigger and better productions.
Our target audience was originally for 15-year-olds as we did not use enough dialogue for there to be vulgar language, we did not include abuse or weaponry objects, and we also did not want to alarm a younger audience. I believe that after watching the entire beginning section, our target audience could be classed as a 12A, as strong language, racism, nudity, sexual content, violence, horror and drugs were not included. It would also appeal to a younger audience as the girl in our film appears youthful, thus making the audience worry that they are young and could possibly become in the same situation.
Throughout the planning of our production we created daily blogs on the website www.blogger.com, containing class dairies, notes and our official plans for the film in order for us to remain organised. We used Canon XM2 cameras which had understandable features because a tutorial was displayed to us highlighting the instructions to set the camera up and how to use its features. We managed to have a slight problem with the tape because someone in our group accidentally rewound it and filmed over a few shots, but fortunately we re-taped the shots and the damage was repaired. We also had problems with time because people in our group, the characters and the owners of the household which we filmed in had organised to be somewhere else, so we had to move at a fast pace. If we had more time we could have improved the shots and took more backup shots just incase, as we did have a problem with one of the shots on the sequence, where the character jumped from one position to another in the same shot. We used the ‘fade to white’ effect hide this problem, which basically fades the shot out in white to the next shot. We were unable to use a shot that we had planned to use in our storyboard because the reflection of the camera was visible in the lounge window, which created some problems so we had to change the position of the camera to hide this. This was important because if the audience could see the camera and operator it would be unprofessional, ruin the illusion of being a thriller and would appear to be unrealistic. I believe that the non-diegetic music we chose for the sequence worked well because it created an eerie effect to the piece, but it was difficult to film the diegetic music because we had to time the phone ringing perfectly and record numerous takes of it. We did not have any problems with costumes, as we asked the characters if they could wear the same outfits and hairstyles as they did on the first shoot so that it would not look like the characters were randomly changing clothes.
We edited our production on a program called ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’; with this we were able to include the titles displaying the title of the film, the cast, director, editor, camera operator and light and sound manager. We used bold, white text as we obtained high results for this on the questionnaire results. We also added special effects to make it eye-catching and entertaining such as ‘ghosting’ which makes the shot distorted, ‘fade to white’ which forces a flash onto the shot, and ‘colour correction’ which enables you to change the colour of the shot based on ‘RGB’. We added non-diegetic sound from a royalty-free website to the piece which worked well as it suited the action taking place, and we included the diegetic music whilst filming to save time. This was logical because it was difficult to obtain royalty-free music without charge from the internet. A few of us in the group found the editing program ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’ confusing at first, however we became more experienced with it as we progressed.
I feel that during the preliminary task when we had to become groups of four, film someone walking through the door and having conversation with another person, my knowledge of basic media skills had escalated. This is because I had experience with the camera using a range of shots with a variety of camera angles and techniques, and I became very familiar with the editing software ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’ as it shown me how to use different effects and how to edit filmed pieces properly. The entire process of the preliminary task had excited me for the upcoming full product. In the preliminary task we decided that we should set the scene in a DVD rental shop, and base it on a sales assistant and a customer debating over an unreturned DVD.
I believe that our thriller had good standards because of the aid from our preliminary task. It made us all prepared for filming and editing confidently, and made the majority of us become more comfortable working with others and being organised. Our regular use of shots used in the first task escalated into using a wider variety of them in our opening sequence. We have successfully achieved the terms of the brief as a group because we have filmed a two minute opening sequence of a thriller aimed at a fifteen or eighteen certificate audience, added titles and graphics. The majority of things worked well in our production, however I believe that our production fell short because we could have used more graphics and one of the shots had a jump cut which I was disappointed with. If we could improve on our production I would like to change some of the shots because I believe it would have been effective if we used a range of them.
Monday 27 April 2009
Section 1: The Thriller Genre
Definition:
A thriller is a genre of fiction that attempts to thrill the audience by placing the characters at risk. There is no clear ingredience what a thriller should consist of.
A thriller is a problematic genre.
Thrillers can be categorized by fast paced action and editing, and heroes who must outwit the villain. Devises such as red herrings and cliff hangers are common.
Thrillers usually take place in exotic places, such as foreign cities, deserts etc.
The hero is usually a "hard man" accustomed to danger, usually a normal person.
Thrillers often overlap mystery stories, however, thrillers usually work on a much grander scale. Big crimes, mass murders etc.
Sub Genres:
Action Thriller - Race against time containing violence.
Conspiracy Thriller - Hero confronts a powerful group.
Crime Thriller - Hybrid of crime films and thrillers. Usually focuses on criminals rather than the police.
Disaster Thriller - Conflict against a natural disaster.
Drama Thriller - Slow paced, great deal of character development.
Eco Thriller - Protagonist must rectify environmental problems.
Erotic Thriller - Popular since the 1980's. See "Fatal Attraction".
Horror Thriller - Conflict between the main character is up against a superior force.
Legal Thriller - Lawyers in danger, have to do the case to save their lives.
Medical Thriller - Heroes are doctors who solve a medical expanding problem.
Political Thriller - Hero must create stability for the government.
Psychological Thriller - Conflict is mental and emotional.
Spy Thriller - Government Agent. See "Bourne Identity".
Techno Thriller - High tech equipment.
Rules:
The Transformed City (GK Chesterton) - Usually in a boring, everyday, usual place such as an urban environment so that they become transformed into an exciting one by what happens there or who invades the place.
Heroic Romance (Northrope Frye) - An ordinary person who becomes someone different (a hero) in extrodinary circumstances. The hero is similar in worlds to romance but exchanges romantic settings for modern cities. The laws of nature are suspended, for example, the hero has 5 minutes to get to a destination and he succeeds.
The Exotic (John Cowetti) - This is usually an exotic place such as a jungle or an exotic woman. Either are used to create unusuality in a normal, boring location.
Mazes & Labyrinths (Will Matthews) - Used because mazes are full of twists, turns, dead ends and the type of film keeps the audience entertained. The maze/labyrinth has to be kept very complex and needs to give the audience clues and even false clues etc.
Partial Vision - The audience is only given so much to see, e.g. The villain's legs walking across a room.
Concealment & Protraction (Lars Ole Saurberg) - This is a suspense technique. It diliberately hides information to make people confused and delays the outcome.
The Question & Answer (Noel Carroll) - If a film is constantly giving the audience clues, then simultaneously the audience will loose interest. False clues & wrong answers are given, and after the opening sequence the audience are left with clear questions, which will finalise in them having felt in suspense.
A thriller is a genre of fiction that attempts to thrill the audience by placing the characters at risk. There is no clear ingredience what a thriller should consist of.
A thriller is a problematic genre.
Thrillers can be categorized by fast paced action and editing, and heroes who must outwit the villain. Devises such as red herrings and cliff hangers are common.
Thrillers usually take place in exotic places, such as foreign cities, deserts etc.
The hero is usually a "hard man" accustomed to danger, usually a normal person.
Thrillers often overlap mystery stories, however, thrillers usually work on a much grander scale. Big crimes, mass murders etc.
Sub Genres:
Action Thriller - Race against time containing violence.
Conspiracy Thriller - Hero confronts a powerful group.
Crime Thriller - Hybrid of crime films and thrillers. Usually focuses on criminals rather than the police.
Disaster Thriller - Conflict against a natural disaster.
Drama Thriller - Slow paced, great deal of character development.
Eco Thriller - Protagonist must rectify environmental problems.
Erotic Thriller - Popular since the 1980's. See "Fatal Attraction".
Horror Thriller - Conflict between the main character is up against a superior force.
Legal Thriller - Lawyers in danger, have to do the case to save their lives.
Medical Thriller - Heroes are doctors who solve a medical expanding problem.
Political Thriller - Hero must create stability for the government.
Psychological Thriller - Conflict is mental and emotional.
Spy Thriller - Government Agent. See "Bourne Identity".
Techno Thriller - High tech equipment.
Rules:
The Transformed City (GK Chesterton) - Usually in a boring, everyday, usual place such as an urban environment so that they become transformed into an exciting one by what happens there or who invades the place.
Heroic Romance (Northrope Frye) - An ordinary person who becomes someone different (a hero) in extrodinary circumstances. The hero is similar in worlds to romance but exchanges romantic settings for modern cities. The laws of nature are suspended, for example, the hero has 5 minutes to get to a destination and he succeeds.
The Exotic (John Cowetti) - This is usually an exotic place such as a jungle or an exotic woman. Either are used to create unusuality in a normal, boring location.
Mazes & Labyrinths (Will Matthews) - Used because mazes are full of twists, turns, dead ends and the type of film keeps the audience entertained. The maze/labyrinth has to be kept very complex and needs to give the audience clues and even false clues etc.
Partial Vision - The audience is only given so much to see, e.g. The villain's legs walking across a room.
Concealment & Protraction (Lars Ole Saurberg) - This is a suspense technique. It diliberately hides information to make people confused and delays the outcome.
The Question & Answer (Noel Carroll) - If a film is constantly giving the audience clues, then simultaneously the audience will loose interest. False clues & wrong answers are given, and after the opening sequence the audience are left with clear questions, which will finalise in them having felt in suspense.
Section 2: Research Into Examples of Compararable Media Products
TITLE OF FILM: 'SEVEN'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: It's got a clear beginning because a person is doing certain things which gives us clues as to what the film might be about. The audience are only given so much information so that they don't know everything just yet.
THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS: Partial Vision it used throughout the entire opening sequence. Concealment and protraction is used also as you only see the persons hands and not the rest of their body.
This makes the audience question - why is this person slicing his fingers with a blade? what are they looking for? (Question & Answer).
CAMERAWORK: Close ups of pages being turned over and a person slicing his fingers with a blade to make the audience question. Concealment is used as everything is fast paced so that the audience does not fully know what is going on. The close ups highlight the persons personality as we see what he/she is doing and looking at.
MISE-EN-SCENE: Most parts of the scene appears to be unclear as the shots that are used do not really give much away to the audience. It looks as though the person is in the office and the character has pricision, slow movement and is calm in comparison to the editing of the film and the music being played.
SOUND: The sounds that are played seem supernatural-like. There's a continuous heartbeat playing. Scratchy and screachy noises like a zip are used which are disturbing to the audience. The heartbeats become louder and simultaneously build suspense and tension. It sounds urgent as it changes pace which makes the audience feel uneasy. The person cuts out word 'GOD' from a newspaper and then the music highlights that word by having the lyric 'You've brought me closer to God'.
EDITING: There are lots of jump cuts used to make it fast paced so that the audience is unclear of what the person is looking at.
A split-screen occurs focusing on a shot of the book, it appears that the top of the screen is a transparent red colour and shows a person developing pictures in a red mixture possibly? The bottom screen is just a normal capture of the book being examined.
GRAPHICS: The text used is white and in a way, child-like. They are central, and the credits are in the corners of the screen with an outlined glow. They often jump around the screen whilst flashing so that the audience does not expect them and this builds suspense.
TITLE OF FILM: 'JAWS'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: The film starts with a big group of teenagers on a beach, drinking away.We automatically know that it's a linear because there is a clear beginning without concealment.
There is equilibrium as it's balanced. The audience does not feel at threat because we believe it is a sea creature in water and not an existing muderer. Diseqalibrium is used because the problem is that the woman has gone into the sea and we automatically know that some creature is going to get her.
THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS: Partial vision is used as we do not actually know what is in the sea...we just think there is something there. This is where protraction, concealment, question and answer comes in. It makes the audience question as the 'thing' underwater is hidden from us - what is in the water? why is she not being saved? is she going to survive?...
CAMERAWORK: It opens with a point-of-view shot of under water which is unsettling for the audience as we do not know who, what or where we are. the camera tracks through reef which then makes it clear that we are in the sea.
Next there is a mid-shot of the teenagers on the beach having a party or get-together, the camera then tracks and has an over-the-shoulder shot, which makes us feel as though we are there. As the camera tracks we look upon the teenagers as though we should not be there...which signifies that they should not be there either.
There is then a close up of a protagonist man who is meant to be seen as a disired object to the audience, and then a close up of a woman looking as though she disires this man also.
Then we see an overhead shot of them both running which changes into a crane shot as they move into it.
A tracking shot is used when the man and woman are running across the length of the beach, which makes the audience feel as though they should not be watching.
There is a low angle shot of of the man, and a long shot of the woman as she jumps into the water. You can then see a long shot of the distance, with a buoy in the sea.
A close up of the woman's legs in the water is used which makes the audience feel on edge and makes them question. It makes us feel that something is beneath her.
Finally there is a close up of the woman screaming for quite a while, with random long shots of the man casually lying down on the beach.MISE-EN-
SCENE: It is set on a beach which is somewhere we would normally associate with safety and at peace. The teenagers are casually hanging around the fire and drinking whilst in comparison the man and woman run off fast towards the sea. This gives the audience a sense of urgency. It is really dark thoughout the entire scene so we are unclear of what is going on and what their expressions are, which makes us think something is going to happen soon. However it is hard to tell what that is so the audience is on edge.
SOUND: The 'Jaws' theme tune is obviously used. I automatically then think about sharks as in time I have recognised the tune being used with sharks which makes me feel uneasy. However when this film had only just been produced, no one would have known what the tune was about. The theme tune builds suspense as it has range within the song and we do not expect it - it starts off slow and has a gradual contrast of loudness, then starts to get faster and louder.
Non-diegetic music is used throughout such as fire crackling, teenagers talking amongst themselves and laughing, the bell ringing from the buoy which is similar to an alarm and signifies danger.
EDITING: Opens with a long take of a beach which does not normally happen in films as it is hard to create one easily, which creates suspense for the audience as they might think 'why is there a long take of this part? Is this because something is going to happen?
A shot-reverse-shot is used on the man and woman looking at eachother, then a long shot is used on the girl in the water which cross-cuts as it goes from the woman in the water to the man on the beach.
GRAPHICS: The text (credits) are white, bold, big, plain and centered. The title of the film and the director 'Steven Spielburg' have large text as they are the main features of the credits.
TITLE OF FILM: 'AMERICAN PSYCHO'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: It is a linear narrative. A man is showing the audience his daily routine. We see the face of the killer straight away so it is a clear narrative and we are not concealed from anything.
THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS: Transformed City is used as it is set in a nightclub and we associate nightclubs as a safe environment because they are filled with lots of people.
The question and answer model is used. It makes the audience question 'will he kill the girl? Is he the killer? What is he going to do?!'
There is an overhead shot of the nightclub to show that it is really crowded.
The main character is exotic because she is a pretty woman and appeals to the audience.
CAMERAWORK: It creates a contrast between his daily life at home and his nightlife which could potray the killer as a schitzophrenic person.
A Les-Miserables picture is on the wall which might might reflect how he feels.
Bright lighting that is used in the apartment shows that it is clean and organised.
MISE-EN-SCENE: Over-shoulder-shot used so the audience can see the conversation the killer is having.
There is a tracking shot in the apartment as though we are walking through. This puts us on edge and makes us feel as though we are there but shouldn't be. there is a medium shot of the killer doing yoga and close-ups of him in the shower. This is highlighting his daily regime.
SOUND: 80's music is used for the diegetic side which makes us feel as though we are not in danger because it is set a long time ago.
Classical, posh music is used in his apartment - we are unclear if this is diegetic or not.
Narration is used non-diegetically as it is the killer describing his daily routine. We are unclear who he is talking to. Possibly to himself.
Dialogue is used in the nightclub. We do not know if he is being serious or joking when he is talking.
EDITING: Shot-reverse-shot is used when the killer is having a conversation with the bartender. This makes the audience confused and unsure of who the main focus is.
In the nightclub the contrast between the nightclub and the killer's apartment is clearly shown. The nightclub is fast paced and the apartment is slow-paced and calm.
GRAPHICS: White, bold, central graphics at the beginning in captial letters to make the title stand out.
TITLE OF FILM: 'SILENCE OF THE LAMBS'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: The credits overlap the woman who is in the woods. We are unclear as to what she is doing as she is running in misty woods which creates the 'question and answer' for the audience - 'Where is she?' and 'What is she running for?' are questions that might be thought about.She is suddenly wanted by the boss for some reason we do not know of. She goes to the bosses office and appears to become alarmed by ariticles and photos on the wall. This makes the audience question again - 'Is this something to do with her?'...'Is she in trouble?' Partial vision is also used because we do not know what is on the wall.
THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS:We realise it is set in a desolate police camp in the woods as we see her climbing ropes and doing other excersise techiniques. This is what the audience would consider as 'the transformed city' because it is just an ordinary place with ordinary people. Enigma code is used as we do not know what is going on exactly.
The 'exotic woman' code is used because we automatically believe that the ordinary and attractive woman is the protagonist/main character. It is also used as the police camp is male dominated so the woman is considered to be - in some way - unusual.
CAMERAWORK: There are close ups of trees at first. Then a crane shot as she climbs up a dirt hill and becomes closer to the camera. There are then long shots of the woman running through the woods and close ups of her feet, tracking on the side of her face and body as though someone is watching her, which makes the audience feel uneasy. Lots of pan angles are used and lots of mid-shots are used also to make her look small and vunerable. An over-the-shoulder shot is used as the man runs up to the woman which creates suspense and makes the audience question because at first we do not know who he is.
When she is in the office there is a close up of her face as she is looking at the evidence on the wall.
MISE-EN-SCENE: The woman is in very misty woods which makes it unclear for the audience's ability to tell what is going on around her. She seems to be 'dwarfed' by the way everything is emphisized around her such as the woods, the lift and well-built men. This is to make the audience think that in comparison to her she looks tiny, weak and should not be there. However we learn that her movement is quite manly, adventurous and focused.
SOUND: In the non-diegetic music there are violins playing which sound quite repetative, urgent and creepy. This is to create a dramatic emotion from the start.
Diegetic sound is used because you ccn hear leaves crunching, the woman breathing as she is running which gets more rapid as the scene goes on. There is very little dialogue which creates suspense as it makes it unclear for us to know what is going on.
EDITING: Match on action is used because we are following her all the way through the scene. This gives us a clue as to her being the protagonist woman who we will believe the film will be about as she is our main focus.When she is in the office there is a close up of her face and then the articles and photographs on the wall when she focuses on them. This is called an eyeline match.
GRAPHICS: Bold and simple credits are used. They certered and show importance as they are in a large font. the theme is black and white so it is just simple text and looks similar to the F.B.I writing.
TITLE OF FILM: 'HANNIBAL RISING'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: It is a linear narrative. There are close ups of the trees, lakes and animals. Heavenly and relaxing music is used which makes us think of enchantment and makes us feel relaxed also. We see a church which then the camera tracks to two kids casually playing together and a butterfly goes past the screen. This makes the audience feel safe! There is suddenly a large 'bang' noise and the children react in an alarmed way. This catches us off guard and makes us jump. The loud noise in comparison to the beautiful music and setting builds up tension and makes us wonder where the loud noise came from. Diegetic noises continue to be used futher on in the beginning scene - Plane, horse, men and women panicking, more bangs from bombs. We realise that there is a war going on. Everyone is talking casually and acting calm - we think that everything is going to be okay. Suddenly a loud tank startles us and Russian men being abusive to German men does also. The family is shot, loud noises begin again, and explosions go off which are unexpected.
THRILLER CODES AND CONVENTIONS: Beautiful woods looks like a normal and safe place. The music makes it seem safer - The exotic. It enchants us and makes us feel like we want to be there. Question and Answer model - 'Why are they fighting?' 'Are the children or their family going to die?' There is a clear beginning as we realise immediately what is going on.
CAMERAWORK: Lots of long shots of trees, water and the nature surrounding the woods. Long tracking shot of lake and church in background which moves to the children. These long shots are to make us unprepared for the loud bang which happens futher on. Close ups happen fast of the boy and girl which gives the audience a sense of urgency. In the war scene there are lots of close ups that happen fast and tracking that is unevenly filmed to make us feel like we should not be there. It also signifies that there is danger. Close up of a large tank wheel is effective as it happens unexpectedly and is unnerving for the audience.
MISE-EN-SCENE: Set in the woods - somewhere we associate with peace. Children are playing nicel, we are presented with a casual feeling. When the bang happens, children have sharp and quick movements which give the audience a sense of urgency. Men are dressed in army-type uniforms so we assume they are at war. Becomes foggy and misty from the smoke of bombs so it makes it harder to tell what is going on.
SOUND: Non-diegetic music which leads the audience asit is harmonic like a choir and beautiful. It becomes louder when the title appears. It carries on being peaceful music whilst diegetic sounds randomly occur such as bombs, horses, planes and people panicking. The dialogue is used in an unclear way- We know what some of them are saying but we do not know what they are reffering to. Some are also talking in a different language.
EDITING: Opens with a long take of the woods (trees). There are lots of long takes to match the slow paced music and to make us focus even more on the beautiful setting. Close ups of childrens faces happen quite rapid and a shot-reverse-shot as they are talking to eachother. It cross cuts constantly - It goes from the Germans to the Russians. After the title appears it fades the text and the background of the trees into rippling water. Eyeline matches used - when child looks at the letter in the drawer it focuses on his eyes and then the letter.
GRAPHICS: Title of the film is red as it could represent blood. No credits at the start of the film as the beautiful scene is meant to be focused on by the audience. The title is also cenetred and large.
TITLE OF FILM: 'SLEEPY HOLLOW'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: It is a linear narrative and has equilibrium. Drop of blood - looks lighter than blood - question and answer 'is it blood or something else?'. Close ups of peoples hands, caligraphy writing on discoloured paper, blood forming together, a candle burning. This makes the audience unclear as to what is going on. We realise the blood is actually an old fashioned stamp - makes audience feel at ease (red herring).
Horses legs and carriage wheels in a misty place - question and answer - 'where are they? are they trying to get away from something?'. We realise it is set in the past as we see a tudor man in the carriage which makes the audience safe and unable to be in the same danger. The man looks alarmed and loud noises occur which startles us. Drivers head is cut off and makes us feel alarmed and is unnerving.
THRILLER CODES AND CONVENTIONS: Enigma code is used as we do not know what is going on and is unclear thoughout the scene. Question and answer model - We see things that appear to be something bad, which are actually not (red herrings).
Protraction and concealment used as at first everything is hidden and lots of close ups are used.Equilibrium - We do not see a problem.
CAMERAWORK: Lots of close ups used for first scene to hide things from us and to confuse us. This is used on writing, letter being folded, a candle, blood (stamp) and a bag. This makes the audience quesion. In the next scene there are plenty of close ups, tracking used on the carriage as though we are being discreet behind the fence in the grass or as though something is watching. Mid shots of man sat in the carriage to see his expressions. Lots of long shots used - makes audience feel that they are waiting for something to happen. Over-the-shoulder shot of the drivers headless body which the man is looking at and it feels as though we are a witness to this!
MISE-EN-SCENE: Caligraphy writing and old feather ink pen makes us suddenly realise that the scene is set in tudor times. The driver and the man (inside carriage) are going through misty and foggy place which looks like a field - question and answer - 'where are they?' 'is something bad going to happen?'. It is really dark thoughout the entire beginning so we can not really see what is going on outside the carriage. Pumpkin-headed scarcrow startles the audience. It is very concealed and we are unable to see the killer.
SOUND: Tudor times non-diegetic music is used thoughout. It is calm to show the comparison to what is happening. Diegetic music is used for dramatic effects such as horses galloping and neighing, lightning and thunder, and a sudden 'roar' noise which is unnerving for the audience.
EDITING: Match on action is used as we follow the man who is in the carriage all the way through the beginning but red herrings occur and he ends up being killed. Lots of pans, long takes and cross cuts - goes from inside the carriage to outside the carriage. Shot-reverse-shot used once outside the carriage.
GRAPHICS: Black background and white thin credits. Mist forms around the text and is smokey to match the scene.
EXTENDED THEATRE CODES AND CONVENTIONS
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: It's got a clear beginning because a person is doing certain things which gives us clues as to what the film might be about. The audience are only given so much information so that they don't know everything just yet.
THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS: Partial Vision it used throughout the entire opening sequence. Concealment and protraction is used also as you only see the persons hands and not the rest of their body.
This makes the audience question - why is this person slicing his fingers with a blade? what are they looking for? (Question & Answer).
CAMERAWORK: Close ups of pages being turned over and a person slicing his fingers with a blade to make the audience question. Concealment is used as everything is fast paced so that the audience does not fully know what is going on. The close ups highlight the persons personality as we see what he/she is doing and looking at.
MISE-EN-SCENE: Most parts of the scene appears to be unclear as the shots that are used do not really give much away to the audience. It looks as though the person is in the office and the character has pricision, slow movement and is calm in comparison to the editing of the film and the music being played.
SOUND: The sounds that are played seem supernatural-like. There's a continuous heartbeat playing. Scratchy and screachy noises like a zip are used which are disturbing to the audience. The heartbeats become louder and simultaneously build suspense and tension. It sounds urgent as it changes pace which makes the audience feel uneasy. The person cuts out word 'GOD' from a newspaper and then the music highlights that word by having the lyric 'You've brought me closer to God'.
EDITING: There are lots of jump cuts used to make it fast paced so that the audience is unclear of what the person is looking at.
A split-screen occurs focusing on a shot of the book, it appears that the top of the screen is a transparent red colour and shows a person developing pictures in a red mixture possibly? The bottom screen is just a normal capture of the book being examined.
GRAPHICS: The text used is white and in a way, child-like. They are central, and the credits are in the corners of the screen with an outlined glow. They often jump around the screen whilst flashing so that the audience does not expect them and this builds suspense.
TITLE OF FILM: 'JAWS'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: The film starts with a big group of teenagers on a beach, drinking away.We automatically know that it's a linear because there is a clear beginning without concealment.
There is equilibrium as it's balanced. The audience does not feel at threat because we believe it is a sea creature in water and not an existing muderer. Diseqalibrium is used because the problem is that the woman has gone into the sea and we automatically know that some creature is going to get her.
THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS: Partial vision is used as we do not actually know what is in the sea...we just think there is something there. This is where protraction, concealment, question and answer comes in. It makes the audience question as the 'thing' underwater is hidden from us - what is in the water? why is she not being saved? is she going to survive?...
CAMERAWORK: It opens with a point-of-view shot of under water which is unsettling for the audience as we do not know who, what or where we are. the camera tracks through reef which then makes it clear that we are in the sea.
Next there is a mid-shot of the teenagers on the beach having a party or get-together, the camera then tracks and has an over-the-shoulder shot, which makes us feel as though we are there. As the camera tracks we look upon the teenagers as though we should not be there...which signifies that they should not be there either.
There is then a close up of a protagonist man who is meant to be seen as a disired object to the audience, and then a close up of a woman looking as though she disires this man also.
Then we see an overhead shot of them both running which changes into a crane shot as they move into it.
A tracking shot is used when the man and woman are running across the length of the beach, which makes the audience feel as though they should not be watching.
There is a low angle shot of of the man, and a long shot of the woman as she jumps into the water. You can then see a long shot of the distance, with a buoy in the sea.
A close up of the woman's legs in the water is used which makes the audience feel on edge and makes them question. It makes us feel that something is beneath her.
Finally there is a close up of the woman screaming for quite a while, with random long shots of the man casually lying down on the beach.MISE-EN-
SCENE: It is set on a beach which is somewhere we would normally associate with safety and at peace. The teenagers are casually hanging around the fire and drinking whilst in comparison the man and woman run off fast towards the sea. This gives the audience a sense of urgency. It is really dark thoughout the entire scene so we are unclear of what is going on and what their expressions are, which makes us think something is going to happen soon. However it is hard to tell what that is so the audience is on edge.
SOUND: The 'Jaws' theme tune is obviously used. I automatically then think about sharks as in time I have recognised the tune being used with sharks which makes me feel uneasy. However when this film had only just been produced, no one would have known what the tune was about. The theme tune builds suspense as it has range within the song and we do not expect it - it starts off slow and has a gradual contrast of loudness, then starts to get faster and louder.
Non-diegetic music is used throughout such as fire crackling, teenagers talking amongst themselves and laughing, the bell ringing from the buoy which is similar to an alarm and signifies danger.
EDITING: Opens with a long take of a beach which does not normally happen in films as it is hard to create one easily, which creates suspense for the audience as they might think 'why is there a long take of this part? Is this because something is going to happen?
A shot-reverse-shot is used on the man and woman looking at eachother, then a long shot is used on the girl in the water which cross-cuts as it goes from the woman in the water to the man on the beach.
GRAPHICS: The text (credits) are white, bold, big, plain and centered. The title of the film and the director 'Steven Spielburg' have large text as they are the main features of the credits.
TITLE OF FILM: 'AMERICAN PSYCHO'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: It is a linear narrative. A man is showing the audience his daily routine. We see the face of the killer straight away so it is a clear narrative and we are not concealed from anything.
THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS: Transformed City is used as it is set in a nightclub and we associate nightclubs as a safe environment because they are filled with lots of people.
The question and answer model is used. It makes the audience question 'will he kill the girl? Is he the killer? What is he going to do?!'
There is an overhead shot of the nightclub to show that it is really crowded.
The main character is exotic because she is a pretty woman and appeals to the audience.
CAMERAWORK: It creates a contrast between his daily life at home and his nightlife which could potray the killer as a schitzophrenic person.
A Les-Miserables picture is on the wall which might might reflect how he feels.
Bright lighting that is used in the apartment shows that it is clean and organised.
MISE-EN-SCENE: Over-shoulder-shot used so the audience can see the conversation the killer is having.
There is a tracking shot in the apartment as though we are walking through. This puts us on edge and makes us feel as though we are there but shouldn't be. there is a medium shot of the killer doing yoga and close-ups of him in the shower. This is highlighting his daily regime.
SOUND: 80's music is used for the diegetic side which makes us feel as though we are not in danger because it is set a long time ago.
Classical, posh music is used in his apartment - we are unclear if this is diegetic or not.
Narration is used non-diegetically as it is the killer describing his daily routine. We are unclear who he is talking to. Possibly to himself.
Dialogue is used in the nightclub. We do not know if he is being serious or joking when he is talking.
EDITING: Shot-reverse-shot is used when the killer is having a conversation with the bartender. This makes the audience confused and unsure of who the main focus is.
In the nightclub the contrast between the nightclub and the killer's apartment is clearly shown. The nightclub is fast paced and the apartment is slow-paced and calm.
GRAPHICS: White, bold, central graphics at the beginning in captial letters to make the title stand out.
TITLE OF FILM: 'SILENCE OF THE LAMBS'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: The credits overlap the woman who is in the woods. We are unclear as to what she is doing as she is running in misty woods which creates the 'question and answer' for the audience - 'Where is she?' and 'What is she running for?' are questions that might be thought about.She is suddenly wanted by the boss for some reason we do not know of. She goes to the bosses office and appears to become alarmed by ariticles and photos on the wall. This makes the audience question again - 'Is this something to do with her?'...'Is she in trouble?' Partial vision is also used because we do not know what is on the wall.
THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS:We realise it is set in a desolate police camp in the woods as we see her climbing ropes and doing other excersise techiniques. This is what the audience would consider as 'the transformed city' because it is just an ordinary place with ordinary people. Enigma code is used as we do not know what is going on exactly.
The 'exotic woman' code is used because we automatically believe that the ordinary and attractive woman is the protagonist/main character. It is also used as the police camp is male dominated so the woman is considered to be - in some way - unusual.
CAMERAWORK: There are close ups of trees at first. Then a crane shot as she climbs up a dirt hill and becomes closer to the camera. There are then long shots of the woman running through the woods and close ups of her feet, tracking on the side of her face and body as though someone is watching her, which makes the audience feel uneasy. Lots of pan angles are used and lots of mid-shots are used also to make her look small and vunerable. An over-the-shoulder shot is used as the man runs up to the woman which creates suspense and makes the audience question because at first we do not know who he is.
When she is in the office there is a close up of her face as she is looking at the evidence on the wall.
MISE-EN-SCENE: The woman is in very misty woods which makes it unclear for the audience's ability to tell what is going on around her. She seems to be 'dwarfed' by the way everything is emphisized around her such as the woods, the lift and well-built men. This is to make the audience think that in comparison to her she looks tiny, weak and should not be there. However we learn that her movement is quite manly, adventurous and focused.
SOUND: In the non-diegetic music there are violins playing which sound quite repetative, urgent and creepy. This is to create a dramatic emotion from the start.
Diegetic sound is used because you ccn hear leaves crunching, the woman breathing as she is running which gets more rapid as the scene goes on. There is very little dialogue which creates suspense as it makes it unclear for us to know what is going on.
EDITING: Match on action is used because we are following her all the way through the scene. This gives us a clue as to her being the protagonist woman who we will believe the film will be about as she is our main focus.When she is in the office there is a close up of her face and then the articles and photographs on the wall when she focuses on them. This is called an eyeline match.
GRAPHICS: Bold and simple credits are used. They certered and show importance as they are in a large font. the theme is black and white so it is just simple text and looks similar to the F.B.I writing.
TITLE OF FILM: 'HANNIBAL RISING'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: It is a linear narrative. There are close ups of the trees, lakes and animals. Heavenly and relaxing music is used which makes us think of enchantment and makes us feel relaxed also. We see a church which then the camera tracks to two kids casually playing together and a butterfly goes past the screen. This makes the audience feel safe! There is suddenly a large 'bang' noise and the children react in an alarmed way. This catches us off guard and makes us jump. The loud noise in comparison to the beautiful music and setting builds up tension and makes us wonder where the loud noise came from. Diegetic noises continue to be used futher on in the beginning scene - Plane, horse, men and women panicking, more bangs from bombs. We realise that there is a war going on. Everyone is talking casually and acting calm - we think that everything is going to be okay. Suddenly a loud tank startles us and Russian men being abusive to German men does also. The family is shot, loud noises begin again, and explosions go off which are unexpected.
THRILLER CODES AND CONVENTIONS: Beautiful woods looks like a normal and safe place. The music makes it seem safer - The exotic. It enchants us and makes us feel like we want to be there. Question and Answer model - 'Why are they fighting?' 'Are the children or their family going to die?' There is a clear beginning as we realise immediately what is going on.
CAMERAWORK: Lots of long shots of trees, water and the nature surrounding the woods. Long tracking shot of lake and church in background which moves to the children. These long shots are to make us unprepared for the loud bang which happens futher on. Close ups happen fast of the boy and girl which gives the audience a sense of urgency. In the war scene there are lots of close ups that happen fast and tracking that is unevenly filmed to make us feel like we should not be there. It also signifies that there is danger. Close up of a large tank wheel is effective as it happens unexpectedly and is unnerving for the audience.
MISE-EN-SCENE: Set in the woods - somewhere we associate with peace. Children are playing nicel, we are presented with a casual feeling. When the bang happens, children have sharp and quick movements which give the audience a sense of urgency. Men are dressed in army-type uniforms so we assume they are at war. Becomes foggy and misty from the smoke of bombs so it makes it harder to tell what is going on.
SOUND: Non-diegetic music which leads the audience asit is harmonic like a choir and beautiful. It becomes louder when the title appears. It carries on being peaceful music whilst diegetic sounds randomly occur such as bombs, horses, planes and people panicking. The dialogue is used in an unclear way- We know what some of them are saying but we do not know what they are reffering to. Some are also talking in a different language.
EDITING: Opens with a long take of the woods (trees). There are lots of long takes to match the slow paced music and to make us focus even more on the beautiful setting. Close ups of childrens faces happen quite rapid and a shot-reverse-shot as they are talking to eachother. It cross cuts constantly - It goes from the Germans to the Russians. After the title appears it fades the text and the background of the trees into rippling water. Eyeline matches used - when child looks at the letter in the drawer it focuses on his eyes and then the letter.
GRAPHICS: Title of the film is red as it could represent blood. No credits at the start of the film as the beautiful scene is meant to be focused on by the audience. The title is also cenetred and large.
TITLE OF FILM: 'SLEEPY HOLLOW'
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: It is a linear narrative and has equilibrium. Drop of blood - looks lighter than blood - question and answer 'is it blood or something else?'. Close ups of peoples hands, caligraphy writing on discoloured paper, blood forming together, a candle burning. This makes the audience unclear as to what is going on. We realise the blood is actually an old fashioned stamp - makes audience feel at ease (red herring).
Horses legs and carriage wheels in a misty place - question and answer - 'where are they? are they trying to get away from something?'. We realise it is set in the past as we see a tudor man in the carriage which makes the audience safe and unable to be in the same danger. The man looks alarmed and loud noises occur which startles us. Drivers head is cut off and makes us feel alarmed and is unnerving.
THRILLER CODES AND CONVENTIONS: Enigma code is used as we do not know what is going on and is unclear thoughout the scene. Question and answer model - We see things that appear to be something bad, which are actually not (red herrings).
Protraction and concealment used as at first everything is hidden and lots of close ups are used.Equilibrium - We do not see a problem.
CAMERAWORK: Lots of close ups used for first scene to hide things from us and to confuse us. This is used on writing, letter being folded, a candle, blood (stamp) and a bag. This makes the audience quesion. In the next scene there are plenty of close ups, tracking used on the carriage as though we are being discreet behind the fence in the grass or as though something is watching. Mid shots of man sat in the carriage to see his expressions. Lots of long shots used - makes audience feel that they are waiting for something to happen. Over-the-shoulder shot of the drivers headless body which the man is looking at and it feels as though we are a witness to this!
MISE-EN-SCENE: Caligraphy writing and old feather ink pen makes us suddenly realise that the scene is set in tudor times. The driver and the man (inside carriage) are going through misty and foggy place which looks like a field - question and answer - 'where are they?' 'is something bad going to happen?'. It is really dark thoughout the entire beginning so we can not really see what is going on outside the carriage. Pumpkin-headed scarcrow startles the audience. It is very concealed and we are unable to see the killer.
SOUND: Tudor times non-diegetic music is used thoughout. It is calm to show the comparison to what is happening. Diegetic music is used for dramatic effects such as horses galloping and neighing, lightning and thunder, and a sudden 'roar' noise which is unnerving for the audience.
EDITING: Match on action is used as we follow the man who is in the carriage all the way through the beginning but red herrings occur and he ends up being killed. Lots of pans, long takes and cross cuts - goes from inside the carriage to outside the carriage. Shot-reverse-shot used once outside the carriage.
GRAPHICS: Black background and white thin credits. Mist forms around the text and is smokey to match the scene.
EXTENDED THEATRE CODES AND CONVENTIONS
Codes and conventions that were used in every film:
- All used partial vision.
- All have transformed city.
- There was always a villain (human or animal).
- Credits always start straight away.
- Most thrillers we watched had linear open sequences.
- Equilibrium as it is balanced out.
- Concealment as things were hidden from us.
- They always make the audience question.
- Suspense was constantly built through out.
- Credits were always black or white.
- Music builds tension and fits in with the film genre.
- The tracking shots used were long to build tension.
- Close ups used to hide things and show the reations of people.
- Pan angles were used a lot.
- Long shots were used frequently also.
- Editing matched the pace of action.
- Hardly any dialogue which made the film have question and answer.
- Clear location as we knew where things were set.
- The camera movement made us feel like we shouldnt be there.
- Eyeline matches used as we were able to see what characters were
- focusing on.
- The title always stood out.
- Non-diegetic sounds used to lead the audience.
- The graphics matched the music.
- Unnerving backgrounds were used.
- Enigma was used to keep audience watching.
- A mix of diegetic sounds were used which became unnerving.
- Questions were always left unanswered thoughout the opening
- sequence.
- There was always disequilibrium at the start (always a problem).
- Status was always set out. A person was always made to look either weak or powerful.
- There was always something unusual about the people we were
- presented with.
- A lot of use of reflective light.
- There was a contrast of the scenes for example, a light coloured office
- compared to the misty woods.
- Binary position used
- Red herring used at the beginning as we expected things to happen which did not.
- Weapons are often apparent but not used in a conventional way.
- Disruption occurs frequently.
- Elements of death are always present.
Section 3: Brainstorm of Content and Classification of Film
Brainstorm of content and classification of film.
Today in our media class, we were put into the groups which we will be working in on our project. The people I will be working with are Josh Gemmel, Tom Newton and Frances Coyne. Together, we started to brain storm basic ideas for our thriller film:
Today in our media class, we were put into the groups which we will be working in on our project. The people I will be working with are Josh Gemmel, Tom Newton and Frances Coyne. Together, we started to brain storm basic ideas for our thriller film:
- A guy stalking a girl.
- Somebody stealing people's souls.
- Detective on a mission.
- Chef with a bomb hidden in a cake, who turns people into sausages.
- Army base.
- Theme park.
- Woods Church/ graveyard.
- House.
- Cellar.
- A computer which corrupts peoples' minds Mental characters.
Section 4: Audience Research
THRILLER QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
We created a questionnaire to help us with our ideas on producing our thriller film. The questionnaire contained 20 opened and closed questions and each person in our group had 10 sets of questionnaires. After we collected them in we tallied up the results and then had to write a conclusion, which we will outline below.
The people who participated in this questionnaire were mostly 16-years-old. And the age group which were the least to participate were the 18-year-olds. I think that we should have used the same amount of people in each age group as it would have made it more equal.The majority of people who filled in our questionnaire were 16. We are going to make a 15 rated film as 16 year olds are our target audience.
The people who took part in the questionnaire were female dominated which again, suggests that in order to make it unbiased we should have used an even amount of men and women.
Most people thought that ‘Se7en’ was their favourite thriller film. Maybe this was a popular choice because it had well-known actors such as Brad Pitt in it. However I have watched ‘se7en’ and thought it was a great thriller also. A total of 0 people chose the film ‘Psycho’ as their favourite film and I believe that the reason for this is because it is a very old black and white film, made in 1960. Therefore, students possibly think that newer thrillers are more entertaining because of the high tech and improved plots, music, graphics, and editing. The thriller opening we will be making will be similar to the opening of ‘Se7en’.
Most people thought that the thriller ‘Jaws’ was their least favourite. I think that this question was an injustice one, as people may have not seen some of the films such as ‘Psycho,’ ‘The Sixth Sense’ or ‘Se7en’. I believe this because of the results on the previous question, and the fact that people actually chose every film over ‘Psycho’. The results are unequal when comparing them to the previous question. However the results show that Jaws was the most disliked and that ‘Se7en,’ ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘Psycho’ were the most liked.
We will make sure that our opening is not like ‘Jaws’ as it does not appeal to our target audience.
A great amount of people thought that action thrillers were the best. Maybe this is because action thrillers have a lot going on in their films such as fights, shootouts, stunts and car chases. They are also fast paced and have creative plots and that is what creates tension for the audience. The least favoured was techno thrillers. I think this is because there are only a few well-known techno thrillers produced and many teenagers might have not seen them.Action thrillers and supernatural thrillers were the most the most popular amongst the people who filled in our questionnaire. We have decided to make an action thriller because supernatural thrillers are expensive to make.
Most people think that the location being set in an urban environment would be best. A lot of thriller films are set in urban places (to create the transformed city model) so this may be why students chose this. Because of this, we will be setting our thriller in an urban environment.
I think that people chose the plot other than anything else because a plot is more noticeable in a film and has more to it than graphics or the music. We will have to make sure that the plot of our thriller is good, as this is what most people tend to judge a thriller on.
Most people said they preferred violence in a thriller. This could be because violence makes it more shocking and gains tension for the audience. The answers ‘no’ and ‘don’t know’ were equal and the least preferred.In our thriller, we are going to include some elements of violence, although we cannot use too much as out thriller is classified as a 15, and not an 18.
A large percentage of people did not know whether they would prefer to see romance in a thriller. I think teenagers do not always consider thrillers as romantic, because it distracts the audience from the entire ‘thrill’ that is required to create tension. Therefore romance is needed.
Most people believed that dialogue should not be expected. Dialogue in thrillers is rare and when used in a film they are often used as little as possible. Dialogue can become a spoiler for the film is used too much in the beginning. A large number of people did not know how to answer this question, possibly because they do not tend to usually realise the amount of dialogue used in every thriller they have watched. However due to the amount of ‘no’ answers we received, we will not include a lot of dialogue in our thriller.
Most people would like to follow a man as the villain in a thriller. This could be because you see a lot of men playing the villain in thriller films and they might like to follow this. No one wanted to follow an animal or robot, so this could suggest that the stereotypical thriller audience prefer realism.
People expect the main character in a thriller to be an 18-30 year old as this is an average age and is realistic considering most 18-30 year olds are independent. No one thought that under 12’s should be the main character. I think this is because people in that age group are usually dependent and would not have a suitable purpose for a thriller film.
I think that people mostly chose to answer ‘woman’ because they are realistic and are often independent in real life. This question was mostly answered female possibly because males tend to appear in a lot of action thrillers which are a popular genre so maybe they would like to see a change. We are going to be following a female lead character in our thriller film.
I think that people mostly chose to answer ‘woman’ because they are realistic and are often independent in real life. This question was mostly answered female possibly because males tend to appear in a lot of action thrillers which are a popular genre so maybe they would like to see a change. We are going to be following a female lead character in our thriller film.
People expect the villain in a thriller to be an 18-30 year old as this is an average age and is realistic considering most 18-30 year olds are independent. This can make tension build up for the audience as realism enables the feeling that the happenings in the thriller film can happen to anyone. No one thought that under 12’s should be the villain. I think this is because people in that age group are usually dependent and would not have a suitable purpose for a thriller film. Because of our results, we will have to find somebody aged 18-30 to act as our main character. We will have to find a man aged 18-30 to play our villain.
Almost everyone who participated in our questionnaire believed that music builds up tension for them, so we are going to select some music which we will build up tension.
Most people thought that a villain would use a weapon in a thriller film. However, many people may think that weapons may be used later on in a thriller film, not in the opening.
Most people said that they would expect the villain to use a knife. This could be because a knife can inflict pain on another person in a gory way and is quite scary for an audience. Less people said a bomb as bombs are a quick and simple way to kill. In other words, if a bomb was used in a thriller it would make the pace of the film really quick and boring. If we are to use a weapon in our thriller, we will be using a knife.
There is almost a tie between the answers to this question, however more people preferred a sad ending, possibly because it creates more tension than a happy one and red herrings can be used often to fool the audience.
Most people thought that breathing and footsteps was the scariest thing to hear in a thriller. These can be considered as scary because the audience know there is a presence lurking but do not know who or what it is. /we will be using heavy breathing in our thriller to build up tension and try to scare the audience.
Most people said yes to this question, as partial vision conceals everything from us and keeps us guessing throughout the film. Some people answered no, possibly because they hate things being concealed from them and desperately want to know what happens in the thriller film.
We created a questionnaire to help us with our ideas on producing our thriller film. The questionnaire contained 20 opened and closed questions and each person in our group had 10 sets of questionnaires. After we collected them in we tallied up the results and then had to write a conclusion, which we will outline below.
The people who participated in this questionnaire were mostly 16-years-old. And the age group which were the least to participate were the 18-year-olds. I think that we should have used the same amount of people in each age group as it would have made it more equal.The majority of people who filled in our questionnaire were 16. We are going to make a 15 rated film as 16 year olds are our target audience.
The people who took part in the questionnaire were female dominated which again, suggests that in order to make it unbiased we should have used an even amount of men and women.
Most people thought that ‘Se7en’ was their favourite thriller film. Maybe this was a popular choice because it had well-known actors such as Brad Pitt in it. However I have watched ‘se7en’ and thought it was a great thriller also. A total of 0 people chose the film ‘Psycho’ as their favourite film and I believe that the reason for this is because it is a very old black and white film, made in 1960. Therefore, students possibly think that newer thrillers are more entertaining because of the high tech and improved plots, music, graphics, and editing. The thriller opening we will be making will be similar to the opening of ‘Se7en’.
Most people thought that the thriller ‘Jaws’ was their least favourite. I think that this question was an injustice one, as people may have not seen some of the films such as ‘Psycho,’ ‘The Sixth Sense’ or ‘Se7en’. I believe this because of the results on the previous question, and the fact that people actually chose every film over ‘Psycho’. The results are unequal when comparing them to the previous question. However the results show that Jaws was the most disliked and that ‘Se7en,’ ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘Psycho’ were the most liked.
We will make sure that our opening is not like ‘Jaws’ as it does not appeal to our target audience.
A great amount of people thought that action thrillers were the best. Maybe this is because action thrillers have a lot going on in their films such as fights, shootouts, stunts and car chases. They are also fast paced and have creative plots and that is what creates tension for the audience. The least favoured was techno thrillers. I think this is because there are only a few well-known techno thrillers produced and many teenagers might have not seen them.Action thrillers and supernatural thrillers were the most the most popular amongst the people who filled in our questionnaire. We have decided to make an action thriller because supernatural thrillers are expensive to make.
Most people think that the location being set in an urban environment would be best. A lot of thriller films are set in urban places (to create the transformed city model) so this may be why students chose this. Because of this, we will be setting our thriller in an urban environment.
I think that people chose the plot other than anything else because a plot is more noticeable in a film and has more to it than graphics or the music. We will have to make sure that the plot of our thriller is good, as this is what most people tend to judge a thriller on.
Most people said they preferred violence in a thriller. This could be because violence makes it more shocking and gains tension for the audience. The answers ‘no’ and ‘don’t know’ were equal and the least preferred.In our thriller, we are going to include some elements of violence, although we cannot use too much as out thriller is classified as a 15, and not an 18.
A large percentage of people did not know whether they would prefer to see romance in a thriller. I think teenagers do not always consider thrillers as romantic, because it distracts the audience from the entire ‘thrill’ that is required to create tension. Therefore romance is needed.
Most people believed that dialogue should not be expected. Dialogue in thrillers is rare and when used in a film they are often used as little as possible. Dialogue can become a spoiler for the film is used too much in the beginning. A large number of people did not know how to answer this question, possibly because they do not tend to usually realise the amount of dialogue used in every thriller they have watched. However due to the amount of ‘no’ answers we received, we will not include a lot of dialogue in our thriller.
Most people would like to follow a man as the villain in a thriller. This could be because you see a lot of men playing the villain in thriller films and they might like to follow this. No one wanted to follow an animal or robot, so this could suggest that the stereotypical thriller audience prefer realism.
People expect the main character in a thriller to be an 18-30 year old as this is an average age and is realistic considering most 18-30 year olds are independent. No one thought that under 12’s should be the main character. I think this is because people in that age group are usually dependent and would not have a suitable purpose for a thriller film.
I think that people mostly chose to answer ‘woman’ because they are realistic and are often independent in real life. This question was mostly answered female possibly because males tend to appear in a lot of action thrillers which are a popular genre so maybe they would like to see a change. We are going to be following a female lead character in our thriller film.
I think that people mostly chose to answer ‘woman’ because they are realistic and are often independent in real life. This question was mostly answered female possibly because males tend to appear in a lot of action thrillers which are a popular genre so maybe they would like to see a change. We are going to be following a female lead character in our thriller film.
People expect the villain in a thriller to be an 18-30 year old as this is an average age and is realistic considering most 18-30 year olds are independent. This can make tension build up for the audience as realism enables the feeling that the happenings in the thriller film can happen to anyone. No one thought that under 12’s should be the villain. I think this is because people in that age group are usually dependent and would not have a suitable purpose for a thriller film. Because of our results, we will have to find somebody aged 18-30 to act as our main character. We will have to find a man aged 18-30 to play our villain.
Almost everyone who participated in our questionnaire believed that music builds up tension for them, so we are going to select some music which we will build up tension.
Most people thought that a villain would use a weapon in a thriller film. However, many people may think that weapons may be used later on in a thriller film, not in the opening.
Most people said that they would expect the villain to use a knife. This could be because a knife can inflict pain on another person in a gory way and is quite scary for an audience. Less people said a bomb as bombs are a quick and simple way to kill. In other words, if a bomb was used in a thriller it would make the pace of the film really quick and boring. If we are to use a weapon in our thriller, we will be using a knife.
There is almost a tie between the answers to this question, however more people preferred a sad ending, possibly because it creates more tension than a happy one and red herrings can be used often to fool the audience.
Most people thought that breathing and footsteps was the scariest thing to hear in a thriller. These can be considered as scary because the audience know there is a presence lurking but do not know who or what it is. /we will be using heavy breathing in our thriller to build up tension and try to scare the audience.
Most people said yes to this question, as partial vision conceals everything from us and keeps us guessing throughout the film. Some people answered no, possibly because they hate things being concealed from them and desperately want to know what happens in the thriller film.
As my overall conclusion I believe that people prefer watching thriller films with a strong, well-constructed plot, which contains an action or supernatural genre and set in an urban or rural environment. It should also contain a protagonist woman, a male villain, violence, partial vision, a weapon such as a knife, heavy breathing, footsteps, and should be realistic. The diegetic and non-diegetic music selection is vital for building up tension. My group and I are going to try to include all of these as we believe it will make our beginning sequence appealing to our target audience. If we could change anything in our questionnaire results I think that we could change a few of the questions, and organise the amount of genders and age groups that we could ask.
Section 5: Synopsis and Treatment
Synopsis/Treatment for Perfect forgiveness (working title)
Production group:
Joshua Gemmell
Tom Newton
Fransis Coyne
Tuesday Povey
Classification:
We have decided to make this film a 15 as it would be immoral for people of 16-17 to be filming an 18 classification. We have also done this so we can open up new possibilities as we are not limited to only one age range of people. We also feel that there is no need for lots of blood and gore.
Synopsis:
Five years ago Rachel Howard died in a horrific car accident. Five years later, Rachel’s Father seeks revenge for justice that was never done. How much blood must be lost in order for this grizzly revenge to be fulfilled?
Treatment:
Beginning: A zoom-in is taken of a girl washing dishes (Close-up of the back of her body). There is then a close up of the sink and some knives being washed. There is then a close-up of a phone ringing. Diegetic sound of a phone ringing is played. A close up is shown of the girls expression as she hears the phone ringing. A tracking shot is used when she is walking over to answer the phone. Close-up of the girl picking up the phone. She says on the phone ‘Hello’. There is a second ring and she again says 'Hello?'. On the third ring she says ‘Hello, who is this?’ whilst a man a man is behind her outside at the window. She looks outside, she can barely see the man, and she can’t see the figures face in the darkness. There is then an over shoulder shot of the man looking at the house, looking at the girl on the phone from across the street.
The girl then closes the windows and curtains and locks the doors. She goes back to watching television. The girl then realises curtains are flowing in the wind and the window opens. There is a close-up on the girl’s frightened expression on her face. Whilst we see the man coming up behind her. The girl screams and the camera goes black.
Middle: The camera is black at first, we here a boy and a woman screaming and arguing. There is a sound of a heart beating, it starts off slow and then goes fast there is also heavy breathing. A first person vision camera is used when the girl awakens she looks around while the camera has blurred vision. Flash backs of old time memories of people laughing.
Whilst the girl is in the flashbacks the mysterious figure is seen or mentioned in her memories. She has flashbacks of her first day of school, Graduating University and of her old job interview. In every flashback she learns about this mysterious figure and what he is like. In the job interview flashback she finds out that the previous worker was a man called ‘Denis Howard’ which resigned because of the death of his daughter ‘Rachel Howard’.
End: The girl awakes from her memories, the killer grabs her and lunges her against a tree. She then discovers that her dad was in the car that made his daughters car crash. She quickly discovers this was all a revenge scheme. The girl makes struggling sounds then all of a sudden it goes quiet. There is a long-shot of the back of the killer walking away casually, the perfect revenge has been committed.
Production group:
Joshua Gemmell
Tom Newton
Fransis Coyne
Tuesday Povey
Classification:
We have decided to make this film a 15 as it would be immoral for people of 16-17 to be filming an 18 classification. We have also done this so we can open up new possibilities as we are not limited to only one age range of people. We also feel that there is no need for lots of blood and gore.
Synopsis:
Five years ago Rachel Howard died in a horrific car accident. Five years later, Rachel’s Father seeks revenge for justice that was never done. How much blood must be lost in order for this grizzly revenge to be fulfilled?
Treatment:
Beginning: A zoom-in is taken of a girl washing dishes (Close-up of the back of her body). There is then a close up of the sink and some knives being washed. There is then a close-up of a phone ringing. Diegetic sound of a phone ringing is played. A close up is shown of the girls expression as she hears the phone ringing. A tracking shot is used when she is walking over to answer the phone. Close-up of the girl picking up the phone. She says on the phone ‘Hello’. There is a second ring and she again says 'Hello?'. On the third ring she says ‘Hello, who is this?’ whilst a man a man is behind her outside at the window. She looks outside, she can barely see the man, and she can’t see the figures face in the darkness. There is then an over shoulder shot of the man looking at the house, looking at the girl on the phone from across the street.
The girl then closes the windows and curtains and locks the doors. She goes back to watching television. The girl then realises curtains are flowing in the wind and the window opens. There is a close-up on the girl’s frightened expression on her face. Whilst we see the man coming up behind her. The girl screams and the camera goes black.
Middle: The camera is black at first, we here a boy and a woman screaming and arguing. There is a sound of a heart beating, it starts off slow and then goes fast there is also heavy breathing. A first person vision camera is used when the girl awakens she looks around while the camera has blurred vision. Flash backs of old time memories of people laughing.
Whilst the girl is in the flashbacks the mysterious figure is seen or mentioned in her memories. She has flashbacks of her first day of school, Graduating University and of her old job interview. In every flashback she learns about this mysterious figure and what he is like. In the job interview flashback she finds out that the previous worker was a man called ‘Denis Howard’ which resigned because of the death of his daughter ‘Rachel Howard’.
End: The girl awakes from her memories, the killer grabs her and lunges her against a tree. She then discovers that her dad was in the car that made his daughters car crash. She quickly discovers this was all a revenge scheme. The girl makes struggling sounds then all of a sudden it goes quiet. There is a long-shot of the back of the killer walking away casually, the perfect revenge has been committed.
Section 6: Character Outlines and Script
Character Outlines:
Rachel Howard: A 18 year old tomboyish brunette. She is optimistic as she has just passed her A-levels. She wears a T-shirt and some casual jeans. She lives with her father, who she has been very close to since her mother passed away when she was ten. She mainly spends her time helping out with chores at home, whilst her dad goes out for work.
Jack Mildew: A 30 year old, blond haired man. He is currently suffering from Schizophrenia. He is the killer in this opening. He wears a T-shirt and a pair of cargo trousers.
Scripting:
-Washing up and phone rings, walks over to phone and picks it up.
-Rachel Howard: ‘Hello’
-No reply
-She puts the phone down and turns to exit the room.-Phone rings again, Rachel answers ‘Hello? Hello?’
-There is no reply again
-She puts the phone down and waits by it.
-The phone rings again she pauses and thinks about whether she should pick up the phone or not.
-Picks up phone ‘Hello who is this?!?’
-hears man breathing down the phone
-Looks out of window, drops the phone and closes the curtains, before running over to the front door to lock it.
Rachel Howard: A 18 year old tomboyish brunette. She is optimistic as she has just passed her A-levels. She wears a T-shirt and some casual jeans. She lives with her father, who she has been very close to since her mother passed away when she was ten. She mainly spends her time helping out with chores at home, whilst her dad goes out for work.
Jack Mildew: A 30 year old, blond haired man. He is currently suffering from Schizophrenia. He is the killer in this opening. He wears a T-shirt and a pair of cargo trousers.
Scripting:
-Washing up and phone rings, walks over to phone and picks it up.
-Rachel Howard: ‘Hello’
-No reply
-She puts the phone down and turns to exit the room.-Phone rings again, Rachel answers ‘Hello? Hello?’
-There is no reply again
-She puts the phone down and waits by it.
-The phone rings again she pauses and thinks about whether she should pick up the phone or not.
-Picks up phone ‘Hello who is this?!?’
-hears man breathing down the phone
-Looks out of window, drops the phone and closes the curtains, before running over to the front door to lock it.
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