Eat. Sleep. Breathe.

Typography - Poll

Planning - Props

Planning - Props

Planning - Location

Planning Location

Planning - Actors

Planning Actors

Analysis of Music and Sound

Analysis- Music & Sound

Actor's Contract

Actors Contract

Location Contract

Location Contract

Planning - Typography

Planning - Typography

Homegrown Prodcutions Pitch - (Keynote)

245410587 Homegrown Productions

Pitch - Feedback/Responses

Planning - Storyboard

Planning - Storyboard

Planning - Lighting

Lighting

Planning - Costume

Costume

Risk Assessment

Planning - Shot List

Planning- Shot List

Planning Location

Planning - Filming Schedule

Planning- Filming Schedule

Planning - Actors

Planning- Actors

Lauren Scott

We auditioned two people for the part

of Lauren Scott and chose to use Leona in the opening sequence, because we felt that she best suited the part. Lauren needs to look petrified which is quite a hard emotion to convey, but we felt that Leona’s portrayal of the emotion looked slightly more realistic than Becky’s. Leona also had a better image than Becky, we felt that she could be made to look like a character from a thriller film more easily.

 

Here are some images of Leona in character as Lauren Scott.

Jason Maverick

We auditioned two people for the part of Jason Maverick and chose to use Cameron in the opening sequence, because he portrayed a better emotion. George looked too funny to be in the thriller, whereas Cameron looked serious and menacing. Cameron is also a better choice because he has previously done drama.

 

On the right is an image of Cameron in character as Jason Maverick.

Planning - Job Roles

Job Roles

Production Companies

Production Companies

Digital Kitchen

 

The production company that would best suit our thriller opening is Digital Kitchen. They produced Dexter, the opening sequence that I have analysed. The reason that I think this production company would best suit our thriller opening is because they have produced many thrillers such as Dexter, True Blood and Six Feet Under. Digital Kitchen were founded in 1995, however they merged Methodologie who are based in Seattle. I think that Digital Kitchen would be a good production company to produce my thriller opening because they produce thrillers that have a similar target audience to ‘Eat. Sleep. Breathe.’ This means that my thriller will reach the correct audience.


Thriller Opening That Inspires Me:
Analysis of Dexter Opening:
Analyse:
Editing
Sound
Mise-en-scene
Effective for the genre?

In the opening title sequence for Dexter, creative imagery is used to make mundane and normal tasks appear gruesome when they are not. In this first slide there's a knife cutting into an orange. We can associate a knife with murder, and the way it looks like it's stabbed the orange may give the audience this thought. Also, the juice from the orange is spraying like blood might if someone was to be cut/stabbed.
There is also a red background. Red is usually associated with evil and the darkness around the edges helps give an evil atmosphere too.

In this still from the opening sequence, a man is shaving his neck. However, the way his neck is held and the placement of the razor makes the audience feel like it seems like someone cutting someone's neck. It also looks like he is about to cut himself, which he does and blood is then shown. This makes a normal task look gruesome and it tells the audience that it isn't a regular everyday thing - something bad may happen. It's also a close up so the audience has no choice but to focus on the current situation. Because it is so close up, it tells the audience this is where something may go wrong because there is nothing else for them to look at.

Here in this still the man is tying his shoelaces but his fists are clenched and his fingers look constricted. This makes the audience feel uneasy because it's almost like someone or something is being strangled with the way that the laces are tightly wrapped around his hands. Also, the way that they are clenched gives off an angry atmosphere, like something is being done out of anger or hatred yet he's just tying his shoelaces. This is another good example of how they have taken normal mundane tasks and made them look gruesome.

In this still from the opening title sequence, it shows a mosquito on a mans arm. A mosquito is a blood sucking creature and so this doesn't seem the most pleasant of things to have on your arm. When thinking of mosquitos, it may make the audience think of blood and something or someone trying to draw blood. This could then link to murder. In the background there is also a mans face and he's lying down. It almost looks like he's dead when really he's just laying down. This is yet another example of how in this opening sequence, normal things are made to look gruesome or worse than they are.

This still looks cringeworthy because the egg that has been cut into looks like flesh. Not only does it look like flesh, but the sauce on the egg looks like blood. It looks as though someone has been stabbed/cut with a sharp object. This makes the audience expect some sort of murder or assault, it's almost like it foreshadows this. It doesn't look appealing to the eye and this makes the audience feel uncomfortable.

This opening sequence fits the thriller genre because of all the gruesome imagery used throughout. A lot of the clips seem to be linked with murder and this is a common thing seen in thriller films. There are weapons used in some of the clips, knifes to be exact. Weapons, specifically knifes are something that's usually seen within the thriller genre and so these clips and images fit very well with this genre.

Indents

Production Companies:
An ident is the animation at the start of a film where the name comes up in the companies chosen typography and there is usually an image or an animation of some sort. Most production companies usually go for clouds or a blue dreamy looking background. It tells us who the films is by and instead of words just coming up on the screen they use sounds effects and animations to make it stand out more.

Walt Disney:
Maleficent
Frozen
Enchanted



DreamWorks:
(Mostly animation films)
Shrek



Tristar:
Muppets
Godzilla
Rambo

Paramount:
Star Trek
Transformers
Psycho
Titanic

Metro Goldwyn Mayer:
The Wizard of Oz
Skyfall
Gone With the Wind

Film 4:
Indie British films

Pixar:
Toy Story
Cars
Brave
Up

20th Century Fox:
Simpsons
Avatar
Dawn of the Planet Apes

Universal:
Jaws

Lions Gate:
Silent Hill: Revelation

Planning - Opening Timeline

Opening Timeline
Initial Ideas

1. Ident - 5 seconds
2. 0-5 seconds - long angled shot of female character running into the scene from behind
3. 5-15 seconds - mid shot of female character slowly walking to tree with picture on - touches picture and pulls it off
4. 15-20 seconds - close up of the picture and name on the picture (Leona Bilby) and then a shot reverse shot to show character's reaction 
5. 20-25 seconds - flash back of what the picture shows (Leona and Cameron laughing)
6. 30-35 seconds - end of flashback as she takes drops the picture - pan to the floor as it falls
7. 35-45 seconds - mid shot as the female character walks over to another picture and looks at it, another flashback plays
8. 45-50 seconds - a canted low angle shot shows female character backs away from photo and falls down next to a piece of wood
9. 50-55 seconds - the wood reads 'Cameron Price' in a burnt looking typography shown from a close up
10. 55-65 seconds - the female character then stands up and continues to walk shows by a mid shot
11. 65-75 seconds - she notices a picture on the ground and reaches for it, another flashback plays of Leona and Cameron not looking as happy 
12. 75-80 seconds - flashback ends and she realises the picture is on fire - she flinches as  it burns her and drops the picture
13. 80-100 seconds - a long shot shows female character begins to panic and walks faster and notices a note nailed to a tree - more credits are shown on the note and a picture attached shows another flashback of Leona and Cameron fighting
14. 100-110 seconds - a mid shot from the side shows the female character holding the photo and she walks away with it - panicked 
15. 110 - 115 seconds - a long shot then pans to the front and the female character is finally revealed and looks shocked at what stands before her
16. 115-125 seconds - shot reverse shot is then used to show the female character looking at a man, it then shows her reaction then the man walks up to her
17. 125-130 seconds - the man stabs her and she falls the the ground
18. 130-135 seconds - a graphic match starts from the wound until it shows her lying on the ground
19. 135-140 seconds - a canted low angle shot shows the man walking away

These are like the shots that will be used that are spoken about in the timeline. The close up is good to use because it shows emotion well and helps focus on the current situation more clearly. The long shot will show the surroundings so that the audience know where the opening is taking place and it sets the atmosphere and mood. The canted low angle shows the vulnerability of the character and the fact its canted 

Preliminary Analysis

Schrecklich
What was successful?
I feel that our preliminary task went very well. I feel that me, Sam and Cameron worked well as a team and so this helped us to create a good preliminary task. I feel that we used a good range of camera shots and our editing was strong too. At the start of our video we used a CCTV look edit on our shot. It fit well with the first bit of our video because we wanted it to look as if the woman was being watched, and I think this did give this affect. However, I think for that shot, the framing could have been a bit better. The next shot then shows my feet walking, this was supposed to create suspense and I think it could have worked better if the framing was better because my feet are not fully in the frame and so it doesn't look as good as it could. The next shot is me walking up to a door and it is filmed from within the room, through the door window. I think this idea was good and effective because it almost looks like a point of view shot and like someone is awaiting my arrival. To make this shot better, the lighting could have been changed to avoid the reflection on the window and to make it look more professional.

The next shot is a close-up of my hand opening the door handle and a sound effect is used as the door opens, it then crosscuts to an extreme close up of my and this shows me smiling. The smile is sinister and so it makes the character look evil and builds up tension because the audience doesn't know what to expect. The sound effect of the door creaking also adds tension because it sounds creepy. It  then shows me walking into the room from a high angled shot and this adds more tension. I think that the fact that there are many shots before I actually walk into the room adds tension because there's a big build up and the audience want to know what my arrival awaits

There is then a low angled shot of Cameron as he spins around on his chair in slow motion. This low angled shot was used to make the character look important and as though he is of high authority. I think this shot worked well and it does give the affect that we were trying to achieve. There is then two extreme close ups of both mine and Cameron's eyes and this shows the tension between the two characters, I think it works well in making the audience wonder what all the tension is about, but again the framing could have been more neat and better. By this I mean that with my face is not equal on both sides in the shot and so it could be framed and positioned better. There is then an over-the-shoulder shot of me looking at Cameron and this was used to show my point-of-view and Cameron's reactions and I think it did this well. 

There is then a long shot of me pulling out a gun and pointing it at Cameron, it then crosscuts to Cameron to show is reaction to whats happened and although this could have been done more affectively I think it works well and still looks good. There is then the sound of a gun shot as it switches to the shot of Cameron's character's cat and it flashes white as the cat gets shot. I think this works well because we were limited on effects so obviously we couldn't edit in blood or any gun wounds so the white flash works effectively to do this. There's then another close up of my face smiling sinisterly again and this makes my character seem evil. There's then a slow motion shot of me walking out the door interrupted by the credits which lengthens out the shot. I thin this works well to carry on the tension and show the credits.

It's also in slow motion. I also think the music that we used throughout was good and effective because it begins to crescendo throughout. 

What skills/knowledge have i acquired?

I think that from doing this task I have a acquired a few skills. I think that it's helped me, Cameron and Sam have become better as a group because we have had to share ideas and work together to make this preliminary task work. We will then be able to apply this when making our thriller opening so it can be the best it can be. I have learnt how to edit effectively and make the shots fit together so that the continuity is proficient. I have also learnt how the different shots work well to create different effects. I have learnt how to create an atmosphere and how to make the editing look effective so that it entices the audience and make them want to continue watching.

What could be improved?
I think that things such as the framing and composition could be improved so that it is neater and looks more proficient. Sometimes parts of faces were cut out and this makes things look less effective and so this would need to be addressed next time to make sure that everything fits and looks professional. I also think that shot reverse shot could have been used better and more often so that the general story is more clear and the audience do not get confused. Overall, when doing our opening thriller I think we will take more care when filming things and make sure that everything fits in the frame and that every shot is proficient and works well. This will make our opening look good and professional and will make our target audience want to watch the film. I feel that our preliminary task went very well aside from this.

Analysis of Snatch

How is the Mise-en-scene typical to the Thriller Genre?

 

The mise-en-scene used in the opening of this thriller is very typical to the thriller genre. This is because the whole of the opening is filled with tension and pulls the audience in. All of the camera work works really well and effectively. There are a lot of graphic matches used to fit the different clips together, this shows that all the characters link to the story line. This adds a sense of mystery; this is typical to the thriller genre. Thrillers usually have a lot of mystery in them - it keeps the audience guessing.

 

The costume and props fit very well with the thriller genre. Things like weapons and jewellery are shown and these props fit with the genre because the jewellery may be stolen, but the facial expression shown when the man holds the jewellery tells us that he probably didn't buy it from a jewellers. His facial expression is sinister, he looks evil but pleased with himself. So the jewellery tells us that some type of crime(s) may be committed.

 

The gun tells us that there will most likely be violence in this film, violence is a typical convention of the thriller genre and so these props are typical to the thriller genre. The camera angles in the opening sequence of the film Snatch are quite close up and they tend to show the expressions of the characters faces. Most of the time they are smiling in a sinister way and the lighting is dark. Darkness is associated with evil and their smiles also look evil so this seems typical to the thriller genre. 

 

The typography in this opening looks western. Cowboys are from the west and so we can associate the typography with crime. Cowboys stereotypically use weapons and they also fight, so this tells us we can expect violence and so this is typical to the thriller genre. 

Title Sequences

Analysing Opening Sequences:
How does it use titles effectively?
Look at:
Titles
Narrative against titles
Typography
Camera work/editing/sound/mise-en-scene
How does all this indicate the genre and show narrative?

Dexter
The titles are written in blood and blood is shown everywhere. It starts with a mosquito on a man's arm, a mosquito is a blood sucking creature. The music that plays is creepy and sounds like it is made up of string instruments - the typical instruments that are used in thriller films. In this sequence there are many day-to-day things that are made to look creepy. He prepares cooks meat in an almost sinister way. You see him cut the meat as if he's murdering a person. There is a close up of his mouth while he chews on the meat which makes the audience cringe. He also shaves his face and blood is drawn when he slighting scratches himself. Many transitions are used.

Se7en
The titles show up in a creepy way in that they flash up and slowly disappear and it almost looks like they've been handwritten. During the title sequence lots of pictures show up. The pictures aren't clear and the screen appears to shake about which makes the audience feel disorientated and as though they can't see what's happening clearly. It creates a sense of mystery and this makes the audience feel a strong need to carry on watching. The music that Se7en uses for their opening sequence sounds creepy. It's synchronous to the genre because it sounds like scratching and seems creepy, this is what is expected of a thriller. It also seems to crescendo throughout as it builds up to the film. All of these things included in the sequence indicate the genre because it makes us feel on edge and excited to see what may happen in the film. The title sequence needs to pull the audience in otherwise they won't have any interest in the film itself.

Vox Pops - Analysis

Question one - What's your favourite thriller film and why?

Response 1 - 'Hostage 2005 because it has a lot of tension and it creates a lot of suspense, there’s a lot of action that happens.'
Response 2 - 'Taken because it’s got lots of action.
Response 3 - 'Lucy because I like the fact that there is a female actress in the movie instead of a male one because it’s normally male dominated.'
Response 4 - 'Fast and Furious 5 because it’s full of action and it’s great entertainment.'

These responses show that people have a wide range of thrillers that they enjoy watching. Most people like action thrillers because they find them more entertaining and enjoyable. Also, there seems to be an interest in suspense and tension from one of the responses. Overall, it seems people like to feel excitement when watching thrillers and feel that they are  fully entertained. When planning for our thriller opening, we should make sure that there is excitement and that the audience is kept entertained throughout.

Question two - What do you look for in a thriller film?

Response 1 - 'Mystery and also action because it makes you want to watch it more.'

Response 2 - 'It’s got to be exiting, have a good storyline and have good characters too.'

Response 3 - 'I look for more female versions of thriller films and I also look for mystery because I like to be surprised.'

Response 4 - 'Tension, and scenes that go well together and one that’s fun to watch.”

It seems that from the responses people enjoy a mysterious, good storyline. One person said they would prefer to have a reverse role in that a female plays the main character rather than it stereotypically being a male. The majority of people said they like excitement or tension to make the film thrilling. This means that when planning and filming our opening thriller we must ensure we make it exciting and full of tension to keep the audience interested in what they are watching.

Question three - What makes thriller films especially enjoyable for you?

Response 1 - 'The music and the sound, it makes it more tense.'

Response 2 - 'I like chase scenes, maybe a little bit of death.'

Response 3 - 'I like lots of action and I like that some thriller films are a bit out of the ordinary.'

Response 4 - 'I like it when I’m eager to watch more, I want to know what’s happening next.'

The responses from this question are quite varied, but two people said they enjoy action and things like chase scenes. One person also said they want to be eager to watch more, meaning they want it to be exciting and thrilling, so they may like chase scenes and action too. Also, one person found that music and sound FX makes the thriller more tense and exciting. So, in our thriller opening, action and music need to be included so that it is enjoyable.

Question 4 - What should the next iconic thriller film include?

Response 1 - 'Guns.'

Response 2 - 'Chase scenes and good actors.'

Response 3 - 'Lots more graphics, lots more inhumane things and lots of action.'

Response 4 - 'A lot more action, fighting, driving and ‘beefier’ cars.'

From these responses it is clear that people like to see action in thrillers. They like chase scenes and weapons and fighting. So in our opening thriller these things will be included.

Thrillers - Subgenres and Audiences

Subgenres in Thrillers

• A subgenre is a genre within a genre
• A hybrid is when genres mix together

Films with subgenres:

Speed - Thriller/Action
Sin city - Thriller/Noir thriller
District 9 - Thriller/Sci-Fi
The Departed - Crime/Thriller
Stigmata - Thriller/Horror

Socio-economic class:

A - CEOs - Doctors/surgeons
B - Teachers/high manager roles
C1 - Nurses/accountants
C2 - Plumbers/carpenters/electricians
D - Retail
C - Students/pensioners/unemployed

Mise-en-scene in Thrillers

Sound in Thrillers

Shutter Island - Sound Analysis

What makes a thriller thrilling?

About Thrillers

Conventions of a thriller:

The editing is usually fast there are lots of quick cuts from shot to shot to give more of a thrilling atmosphere and more action. It keeps the audience on edge with anticipation. Music is used in moments of a thriller when there is tension or action. It makes the scene seem much more exciting. Flashbacks are used in thrillers to piece together stories and also to make the audience wonder what the flashback means before it is explained.

• Suspense
• Dark lighting
• Excitement
• Jumpy scenes
• Sense of mystery
• Gripping story lines
• Twists in the plot
• Weapons
• Violence
• Tension
• Crime
• Cliff hangers

Mise-en-scene expected in thrillers:

• The camera shots in a thriller will be fast paced, things like cross cutting will be used when there is action going on. Fast paced camera shots are used to add more excitement with shots going back and forth, it keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. 
• Camera angles are also something that adds effect to scenes. For example and low angled shot may show that someone has power, and a high angled shot shows someone may be vulnerable.
• This links with action sequences. Thriller films need action sequences to make them thrilling. They add the excitement and tension to the film if done well, using the correct editing and camera work.
• Sound is a big thing in thriller films. Dramatic music and sound effects work well to add more excitement and make the film more thrilling.
• Costume is a big part of a movie. Character's costumes need to fit with their character's persona. If someone is playing a person of high authority, say a detective, their costume needs to look professional and organised. If there is someone playing a villain then their costume may be scruffy looking, although it could look professional too depending on what kind of villain they are. The costume says a lot about the character.
• Props are a big part of a film. Weapons are a popular prop from thriller films, but props can be anything that fit with the story. 

Conventions Shown in Shutter Island:

Camera work/costume/props
This still from Shutter Island shows a low angled shot and three men dressed in smart clothing/uniform. This lets the audience know that they have authority and power. The middle character has a notebook and appears to be taking notes as the man on the right describes something to him, possibly a crime scene. This makes the middle character seem important. From the middle character's facial expression the audience may feel a sense of tension.

Special FX

In this still special effects have been used to add effect. The character his holding a woman while she turns to rubble in his arms. It shows she is a figment of his imagination but she was once a part of his life. The use of SFX here may disturb the audience because of the way the woman falls to dust. It also may sadden the audience as the man holds her lovingly as she dissappears. The aim here is for the audience to feel some of the emotion that the character feels because the audience is then engaged with the film.

Lighting and Props
In this still there is a good use of lighting and props. The lighting is very dark and this creates an eerie and creepy atmosphere for the audience. It makes the audience feel uneasy because they do not know what is lurking in the darkness. Another thing that also fills this still with tension is the character's face. He looks scared as he looks before him but we cannot see what he is looking at. This creates a sense of mystery filled with tension. The match he holds before him is his only light. This makes him looks vulnerable because the match could easily go out and he would be left in complete darkness.

Feelings when watching Shutter Island:

      

Types of characters:

The protagonist: This is the person who does something heroic. They are the one to fight the evil.

The antagonist: This is the person for is evil and causes the crime in a thriller.

 

 

Themes:

Action Thriller:

In action thrillers, there is obviously a lot more action and there is much more fighting than in the other themes. It focuses more on fighting and weapons. 

 

Psychological:

This is the type of thriller that confuses the audience with strange story lines. Usually it includes either the antagonist or protagonist on. 

Religious:

These types of thrillers usually include a devil or something being possessed. This links with religion obviously and a vulnerable being or child is usually the one to end up possessed or in danger.

Sci-Fi:

This usually features things that are out of this world. Almost all Sci-Fi films are about aliens. 

Crime Thriller:

In crime thrillers it focuses on killing, whether it be murder or suicide. It may also focus on different types crime too. The story line usually includes the protagonist trying to defeat the antagonist. 

Film Noir:
This type of film started just after WW2. It was influenced by the dark period that people went through after the war. It is black and white, as the title probably shows. Film Noir is French for 'Black Film'.