Thriller Ideas Power-point *(Starts from bottom of post)

Thriller questionaire

Questionnaire

This lesson, we have been tasked with creating a questionnaire with the intention of discovering what interests an audience in a thriller opening to ensure our thriller will have the most impact and include elements that interest and entice the audience. We thought questions based around conventions, Mise en scene and general information on each person was required.

1)      What gender are you?

Male                                             Female

2)      What age group do you fall under? Circle your answer.

11 - 13                                             14 – 16

17 - 19                                              20 +

3)      What is your favourite genre of film?

Action                                             Comedy

Horror                                            Thriller

Drama                                             Sci-Fi

Romance

4)      Do you enjoy watching the genre: Thriller?

Yes                                                  No

5)      What age rating would you expect a typical thriller film to be?

U                                PG                 12A

12                              15                    18

6)      Would a thriller appeal more to you if it was set in a local area?

Yes                                                      No

Explain why…

7)      What do you think would be your favourite sub genre of a thriller film?

Political                                                Crime

Conspiracy                                           Psychological

Disaster                                                 Mystery

Legal                                                      Religious

8)      What do you think makes a good thriller?

9)  What do you think makes up a typical thriller character?

Prelim Evaluation

When filming our prelim there where a few points we had to ensure we included before we added our own creativity. These points were:

• Movement/walking: We tried to make our transitions of movement as fluent as possible for example when Steven was walking up the stairs, walking down the hall and then the first person perspective of Steven approaching “the antidote”.

• Conversation: For our conversation we included a close up of my face when I was talking and then an over the shoulder view of me pointing the gun at Steven when he responded to my dialogue.

• Entering a different environment (walking through a door): When filming this part we had to ensure that we got the timing and positioning right for the next shot so that the transition remains smooth.

We used a fairly wide range of shots when filming but the prelim mainly consisted of wide, medium, close up and over the shoulder shots as we didn’t feel the need to include many other shots for our specific ideas.

Although we did consider the mise-en-scene and sound we felt quite limited in the school environment and had to complete this prelim within a small time scale so we did not have the time to move tables and chairs out of the room for filming. If we did have more time we would of completely suited the room for the prelim including a laboratory scene in which the antidote is found.

As our group only consisted of me and Steven it made filming very difficult. So when it came to the over the shoulder shot we called in a friend (Luke Doyle) to film that specific shot. Other than that me and Steven tried our best to get the most effective shots as possible to add hints of tension to our action-thriller type prelim but as this was the first time either of us had ever filmed in this way. Some of the shots were slightly “rusty” and shaky but we have learned from this.

If you look at my prelim planning at the bottom of the blogg you will find that our shots do not meet the specifications of our storyboard this was slightly due lack of costume but mainly because we did try film according to the storyboard but we used trial and error and thought that the shots/ideas we used where much better than what we originally planned.

In conclusion I believe there is a lot of room for improvement in our prelim for example mise-en-scene, improved dialogue and more fluent shots but I don’t think it was too bad for a first try.

Uk Film Classification

The BBFC controls and classifies every film in the UK. The BBFC decides whether a film should be allowed to be broadcasted or sold in the UK if so the film will be classified in one of the following categories:

 

   Universal: suitable for any age.

 Parental Guidance: is for general viewing but some content could be inappropriate for children.

Suitable for 12 years and over.

Suitable for only 15 years and over.

Suitable for adults only.

Suitable only in special licensed cinemas or sex shops etc.

If a film fails to fall into any of these categories and is deemed as too explicit for anyone to view then the BBFC has the power to completely ban a film from the UK ( if the explicatory cannot be cut out of the film).

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  BBFC Podcast Episode 1 – 12A

  
  
  Welcome to the first episode of the BBFC Podcast.

Chosen Film Producer

The BBC

Benefits of using the BBC to market, distribute and produce my thriller:

·        The BBC is by far the best UK based producer/broadcaster there is.

·        The BBC began life in 1992 which means they will have a lot of experience with broadcasting which means they could quickly market my thriller to the whole of the UK and possibly the world.

·        The BBC has many channels which are on every source of television (non digital, free view, sky, BT Vision and Tivo).

·        The BBC have produced and broadcasted many thrillers over the years so they have a wide knowledge of what I am trying to create.

·        The BBC is local to my Nation they might like to encourage more UK independent film producers such as myself.

Cons of using the BBC to market, distribute and produce my thriller:

·        Although the BBC are a major company in the UK, they would not produce or sell anywhere near as many films as American companies such as Universal Studios.

·        The BBC is more specialist in television series and normal programs and they do not have as much experience with actual film than American companies.

In conclusion I am going to choose the BBC to produce, market and distribute my thriller because although they do not reach as many sales as companies such as universal studios I believe they would give more support and it is a much more realistic goal to set for my thriller.

Memento (a review of the first 5 miniuts)

Memento is an unconventional thriller which is filmed in a non linear format which instantly engages the viewer and requires the viewer to think about what is being showed but also creates confusion.The first thing that grabs the viewers attention in Momento is the blue writing on a black background which instantly gives the viewer hints of coldness and loneliness and these feelings are reflected throughout the film. The non-diegetic sound instantly hits you with feelings of unsettledness and darkness as the music is very dynamic and consists of stringed instruments such as violins and this hits the viewer with negative connotations.

This film is extremely psychological and realistic as the condition that the main character (Lenny) has is genuine and the events that take place during the film do not seem far fetched. The representation of Lenny makes the viewer feel sympathy for him as he is lost, confused and generally has no sense of direction other that what he takes notes and pictures of. Teddy ( the secondary main character) seems evil to the viewer as he is trying to befriend Lenny when you can just tell he is not really his friend as he is trying too hard, suggesting that he has another motive for doing so.

Prelim- Laurence Brown & Steven Muddiman - The Antidote

The Happening- A quick Review

http://simplymillennial.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/the-happening-posters.jpg

The basic idea of The Happening is nature fighting back on humans and this is demonstrated with the trees releasing something in the air that causes the human beings to kill themselves. As it says on the upper central area of the film cover: ‘We’ve sensed it., We’ve seen the signs., Now… It’s happening’. The film is based in real time and the concept seems quite realistic to the viewer as in society today there is a real focus on what might happen to us in the future and being eco-friendly and saving the world.

The cover shows abandoned cars leading into the distance of a road in a dark, depressing environment, dark and depressing are two aspects that play a large role in this film and are emphasised throughout the film. This dark and depressing theme is signified from the start with techniques such as the music builds up in layers from a fairly light timbre to a heavy build up in violin and then chimes are added  in a surreal manner and it gives impressions of nothingness and pending doom. In the opening scene there is diegitic sound such as wind and city sounds of people talking in New York which gives impressions of a normal day to day environment this is what causes a huge climax when people start dieing as the concept of our race just being wiped out so silently and discretely is shocking. Most films would use drama to emphasise death such as people panicking, sirens etc but this film remains depressing instead of stressful this gives the viewer the idea that were dying and there is nothing we can do (there is no fight to be fought, this is the end, is the impression I get from the opening scene).

 This film focuses more on making you panic than representing panic in the shots.

Generally the director uses build up techniques to make you peak in this film such as camera shots changing from slow pan shots of a landscape view of the city to rapidly increasing close ups of horrified faces which really has an large impact on the viewer and sucks them into the film. Confusion plays another major role in this film which again increases the drama of the film as what you don’t understand especially in this situation can unsettle you.

Basic Camera shots

http://www.thewildclassroom.com/wildfilmschool/gettingstarted/images/Camera-Shots.jpg

Basic summaries

This diagram clearly demonstrates the different camera angles that are used in basic filming these shot types are very common and basic.

Wide shots are usually used to emphasise the surrounding environment or equally show the character and the environment and give a landscape view showing the ‘big picture’. As you can see in the diagram for extreme wide shots the man is barely seen and you have no choice but to focus on the desert landscapes but the normal wide shot includes a detailed view of the character and his environment. This shot is also known as a long shot.

Medium shots usually frame a character or subject from the waste up, this is a very common shot and allows gestures to be included in conversation . Where as medium close up shots generally focus on above the shoulders of the subject. Both these shots are usually used for conversation or just to keep you focused on a specific subject. Close up shots are put in to show a specific part of a subject which is usually just the head in conversation. Extreme close ups usually show the viewer the subjects emotion (if it’s a person) or just to generally emphasise a subject in an extreme manner.

Psycho: Short Review

The opening scene of psycho uses many camera angles and effective mise-en-scene to create dramatic and psychological tensions, its techniques like these that draw the viewer in and make the viewer want to see more.

 The shot above is a first person shot from the perspective of the girl, this shot is put in shortly before the killer is revealed and is quite a calm shot showing that its just the girl alone with the shower, this calmness makes the revelation of the killer more dramatic as it fairly suddenly switches from calm to panic. This is a close up with the object focused in the centre of the shot so the object the director is showing ( the shower) is quite in your face.

This shot is very effective at building up tension as only the viewer can notice that there is a figure lurking behind the shower curtain, this lets the viewer know that something is about to happen and as it is her alone in the shower the viewer assumes it is going to be something bad. Shots like these get your heart pumping before the incident occurs so there is somewhat of a build up effect for the viewer. This shot is also a close up but not as extreme as the shower head as there are two points of focus in view.

This shot is another close up and this is where the director expects the tension in the viewer to peak at a high level as it is revealing the killer. The director intends for you to see the killer but not in too much detail as the lighting from the right hand side causes a shadow over the killers face, also the water from the shower helps blur the detail. What the director does want you to see is the figure of the killer and the large knife being held up in the air, it is made clear by the way the knife is held that the killer is about to use it also the lighting from the right points out the knife quite well. 

This shot is a zoom- in close up from the previous shot of the knife just to add that last bit of tension before it is used. This adds emphasis to the previous shot and is from the perspective of the girl, who has just seen the killer. The knife is composed in the centre of the screen with the killers hair in the right hand side this assures the viewer is only focusing on these two things.

This shot is an extreme close up of the girls mouth area. This shot reveals that the girl has just seen the killer and is terrified. The director chooses to make a close up of the mouth as it truly shows the viewer that she is in extreme fear of the killer and accurately shows her reaction to the previous shot.

This shot is another great example of the directors use of close ups in the opening scene and shows the girl being stabbed viciously by the killer. The girl is falling in the process showing that the killers job is nearly done. This shot is taken from a high angle looking down on both characters effectively showing the event that is taking place.

In conclusion I believe that the main shot type in the opening scene is definitely close up shots and the director is very effective at building up a climax before the killing by switching from calmness to panic very smoothly. The mise-en-scene is mostly made up of shadowy  lighting and loneliness until the killer arrives and there are not many objects etc in the shot, this focuses the viewer on the things the director wants e.g the girl, the killer, the shower, the knife creating a very psychological vibe to the scene.

Media Prelim Storyboard ( pictures missing as they where drawn on) by Steven Muddiman and Laurence Brown

1)       Close up of actors feet walking up the first flight of stairs. 2)       Shot looking down on actor walking up the second flight of stairs.	1)       Close up of actor reaching for his pocket at top of stairs. 2)       Shot of actor walking through the primary door.	1)       Actor walks through second door. 2)       Close up of door closing.
1)       Actor enters room and there is a close up of a dying person on the floor. 2)       Stagger shot flicks backwards away from dying actor to add dramatic tension.	1)       Actor talks to other dying actor on the floor and shouts “who did this to you!” ( over shoulder view from dying actor) 2)       Dying actor replies with “behind you” (over the shoulder view from other actor) and points at the third actor who is the murderer.	1) Primary actor turns around draws his gun and shoots the murderer in the head ( close up of finger on the trigger ) as soon as the trigger is pulled it ends with a cut to black ( gun sound effect needed).

Perpose of an opening sequence

Purpose of an opening sequence

What?

·        Narrative

·        Character

·        Setting

·        Genre

·        Representation

·        To introduce/establish/develop.

How?

·        Editing

·        Sound

·        Mise en scene

·        Camera shots/angles/movement/composition.

Opening Examples:

·        Binary opposition- Good v bad, hero v villain, rich v poor, strong v weak.

·        Equilibrium-Disequilibrium-New equilibrium:

Start: Harmony/social order/stability.

Next: Disruption/ disharmony/chaos/ change.

Finally: Restoration of harmony

Crime/Thriller based on the London Riots