Pre Production

Over the holidays our teacher set us a homework task of thinking of an idea for our thriller film. I decided to choose a idea that involved some kind of monster for example Predator, the next thing i thought about was narrative, The narrative i chose was a group of students choose to go into the forest after hearing about ghost sightings, they enter unaware and taking the situation as a joke then they hear things and encounter a creature and begin to run as they approach the exit, the monster jumps on them and eats them. after i though of the narrative i chose a location, which was Forty Hill, I researched times that the forest will be available for the public. Then i checked for a road near forty hill where the boys could come from at the start of the film. This is a good idea of a thriller film narrative because it involves all the common thriller film conventions also it has an equilibrium, boys going into forest taking things lightly joking around, then encounter monster, chased by monster then sadly killed by monster.

In school we got our ideas together and we was put into groups for filming, then we came up with a final idea this storyline. The final storyline was similar to mine in the way, the student were being follow and stalked the final piece was called Gone, In this production a girl is being stalked and she is very aware she has a stalker after she reads a note she found on her pillow when she was awakened during the night due to the window being open, The note read 'Ive been watching you, we will meet soon' then the following night Sofie, the main character played by Hande is on her way home from a party, she is alone and vulnerable, she feels as if she is being watched and keeps looking back, we see the stalker but when she looks back the stalker played by Lyden is Gone then as she turn around to continue on home the stalker appears  in front of her and grabs her the film ends after we hear a scream.

We was told to put the title at the end of the opening scene to show the audience the Title and also to show this is the beginning of our thriller not the whole story, also to show this is a thriller with red colour and sharp, blood red font,we then sat down in our groups we then elected Tolu Barnes as Producer&Director, we then elected myself the role of Camera&Sound as we have the smallest group Hande Silay suggested she takes on the roles of Location&Lighting and also Make-up&Costume.

For my role i had to study and think about camera shots we would use in our production, I chose to use tracking, close ups, mid shots, two shots and other shots that showed to the audience the emotions the main character was going through.

After we had conducted our research for our production we then thought as a group to conduct a Questionnaire to find out what our target audience wanted and expected from an opening sequence from a thriller film. below is a copy of my questionnaire and the results we concluded.

Below is a copy of the questionnaire and the results.

Target Audience Appeal from Thriller Production Gone

1. Circle, which gender are you? Male Female

2. Which certificate do you prefer to watch in a thriller film?
   12        15        18

3. What interest you in watching a thriller film?   

Advertisements, Word Of Mouth, Reviews Posters

4.     What do you expect to see in a thriller film?
1. Murder/Death

2. Weapons, Violence

3. Victims/Hero’s

4. Typical Conventions like Lighting, Sound

5.     Would you like a fast paced Thriller or a Thriller you really need to pay attention too?

                 6.   What part of Thriller films do you prefer?

Chase scenes, Introduction of Characters, Attacking scenes,

Events leading to demise of victim, Narrative, Vengeance Emotions & cinematography.

7. What makes a thriller film in your opinion? Circle 3

Killing, soundtrack, cinematography, lighting, Narrative,       props, iconography or Location

8. What types of actors would you expect to see in a thriller film? E.g. Main character, Investigator

9. What type of setting do you think reflects a thriller theme?
   Outdoor         Graveyard     Creepy houseStreet             other

Here are the results we got from the questionaire

If Unable To Read Please Click Image To Enlarge, From these results me and my group then had the base line for our thriller film, we chose to base the film at two locations house and the street to hit both locations we looked at in our questionnaire insted of just the one.



From these results we also had come to see that our target audience prefers, attacking scenes/chasing scenes, we also concluded that our audience will like our thriller film if it contained violence and a female victim also. Another thing we concluded was that our audience would like alot of different cinematography used in this opening sequence.

Mise En Scene

Mise-en-Scene

Objective: To be able to show an understanding of how mise-en-scene is used to create meaning

Outcome:

All: will be able to explain one element of mise-en-scene

Most: will be able to identify the 5 elements of mise-en-scene with some examples

Some: Will be able to identify the 5 elements of mise-en-scene and will also be able to use media language effectively to explain examples

Mise-en-Scene (MeS) is a French term meaning ‘what is put into the scene or frame’. What is put into or left out of a frame can make a big difference to how we receive the film and how we are supposed to feel.

Starter:

Look at the following pictures. What assumptions can you make about the pictures and also the genre of the films? 

 In the forest image the forest is green, with a simple path and brightly lit up this sends an image to the audience that this place is a nice place to be, which tell the audience the genre of film could be a Fantasy or maybe a Rom-Com, the second image on the other hand has low key lighting, fog, its located in a Graveyard and the lighting is low key, also this graveyard appears to be abandoned this tells the audience the film is a Horror/Thriller genre of film.

A simple shot of a tree can be made to look threatening by stripping it of leaves, adding a vulture and some lightening and shooting it in the darkness. The same tree can be given a very different feel if it is green and leafy, has children playing around it and is shot on a bright sunny day.

As an experienced audience we are able to read these signals and make assumptions about the films narrative.

The elements of Mise-en-scene are an indicator of the genre of the film and as an audience we have expectations of the Mise-en-scene depending on the genre.

The elements within MES include;

1. setting and props
2. costume, hair and make-up
3. facial expressions and body language
4. lighting and colour
5. positioning of characters & objects within a frame

  SETTINGS & PROPS

Settings used in a film are rarely just backgrounds to the characters and sometimes we see settings with no action taking place. Filmmakers can choose to build a set from scratch in a studio. Alternatively a lot of time and effort is put in by a location manager to find a setting that already exists.

Props is the term given to objects in a scene and are usually used to help the narrative or to follow the generic conventions of a film.

  COSTUME, HAIR & MAKE-UP

Costume plays a large part because it can indicate a character’s personality, social status and job. It tells us when the film is set and in what culture.

MAKE-UP

Make-up in the early days of cinema was used to highlight facial features, as black and white film stock could not register detail very well. 

 

Facial Expressions & Body Language

Facial expressions are a clear indicator of how a person feels. The filmmaker may use a character’s eyes to draw our attention to something or a slight change in a character’s face can tell us something has happened.

Body Language also indicates how we are thinking and feeling. Everyone is different but we recognise common features such as shaking a fist means anger, or curling into a ball to protect ourselves.

·    Lighting

Lighting can help to give a scene a realistic look (high key) or a dramatic look (low key). It can also be used to highlight particular objects, characters or to change a character’s appearance.

·   POSITIONING OF CHARACTERS & OBJECTS WITHIN A FRAME

Positioning can indicate the importance of a person or object. If a character is positioned in the foreground we know to assume they have some importance in the scene. Also the positioning of objects can direct our attention to a particular area.

TASK 1:

Look at the following still images and analyse how mise-en-scene is used:

Positioning of Characters & Objects within a frame, in this image we can see one guy standing over the other guy. This shows that maybe the guy standing has a higher status or that he could be the leader or the boss so in other words he is the more powerful of the two guys, Setting and Props in this scene are Lock-up/Garage, old chairs, bins, pipes and guns these helps set the mood of the scene and show us the place is abandoned and something is about to happen. The lighting used in this image is called Choroscuro lighting or Top lighting  this type of lighting creates deep shadows over the man on the floor and the Man standing. these emphases the gangster image, High Key and Low key lighting combined makes Light and Dark areas in the scene. Facial Expressions in this image suggest the two men do not get along as they both have a facial expression suggesting anger or hatred, Costume, Hair & Make-up, both characters are in black suit and white shirts The costume emphasises a gangster theme. Also the use of blood on both the characters faces suggests they have been fighting each other.

Facial Expressions in this scene/image suggest she is angry, she looks as though she is ready to fight or she is analysing her opponents, Costume, Hair & Make-up, in this image shows the main character is in a yellow costume, Everyone else is in Black and white because of this the female character stands out to which she looks to be more dominate and higher than the others which also suggests she in more powerful and has the upper hand, this also suggests as everyone looks scared she could probably kill everyone there.
Lighting and colour used in this scene is Low Key lighting this creates the mood for the fight scene, Film Noir- shadows on one side of the woman's face this leaves the audience wondering if she is good or bad and if she has completely lost the old version of herself and become one of the bad guys in the search for vengeance.Positioning of Characters and Objects within a frame, the female character in this scene is positioned in the middle and is closer to the camera shot this enables the character to stand out and look bigger than everyone else in the frame, it also tells us that she could be the main character, Setting and Props in this scene suggests it is set in japan with sliding old wooden doors also tells us ins a gangsters hide away because of the amount of guys also that they have swords and are all fighting one person, another thing it shows is that the gangster is wealthy because the hide out if decorated nicely with  swords and armor on the wall.

Sound

Termanology words

• Sound Code- Phycho intro music is high pitched and carming, when curtain is pulled back we hear a sharp sound which tells us danger is gunna happen then the woman is attacked, after she is attacked we hear low music which tells us something bad has happened.
• Diegetic Sound- KidultHood, sound from the film world, door slams, dialog, footsteps all examples of diegetic sound.
• Non Diegetic Sound- Xmen, Music added on after filming, for example music to add effect or voice over narratives.
• Rythem- Charles Angels, Slow rythem, calms audience then will build up to emphasis the action happening in the scene, also adds tension.
• Silence- in any film silence is always used to create suspense and make the audience on edge and wanting to know more about the following scene.
• Voice Over Narration- Fight Club, when the main character is telling the audience about his past and how he got to this stage in the film, brings the audience up to date with the Narrative.
• Contraptional Sound- where the music the audience hears doesnt match the scene for example in Jaws we see a nice peaceful beach but we hear tension building music and the famous Jaws theme song, this does not match the pleasent scene and confuses the audience.

Lighting

Objective: to learn the film language used to describe lighting techniques and effects, analyse lighting techniques and their effects, using correct terminology

Outcomes
All: will be able to describe one style of lighting technique(E)
Most: will be able to identify 2-3 lighting styles and explain the purpose it has (C)
Some: will be able to identify the lighting style and will also be able to use media language effectively to describe the purpose it has (A)

Lighting
lighting helps to convey mood and atmosphere in a scene, it can also be used to guide the audiences attention to a particular object, person or gesture. lighting can also be used to cast shadows and build tension and suspense in a scene.

Key Lighting: is usually the brightest light and most influential.









Back lighting: helps to counter act the effect of the key light, making the character/object look more rounded









Filler light: helps to soften the harsh shadows that the other lights create, there maybe more than one filler light









Angles of lighting

 


Under Lighting- Is when the main source of light comes from below the subject. this tends to have a distorting effect on the characters or object that is being lit and is often used in Horror Films.








 

Top Lighting- is when the main source of lighting comes from above, highlight the features of a character- it can be used to create a glamours look in stars.






Types of Lighting

 

Low key: lighting is created by the use of back lights. this will produce a sharp contrast of light and dark areas on the screen and cause deep shadows to form, this effect is known as Chiaroscuro


 
High Key: is basically the opposite to Low Key, High Key lighting means that more filter lights are used. the term means lighting that appears more natural and realistic to our eyes. it can be used to describe lighting on brightly lit sets such as a recreated sunny day in the park, or to describe a more subtly-lit night time scene. although shadows will be produced to contrast is allot softer.



 HomeWork, Matrix Scene

Matrix scene, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arcJksDgCOU

In this scene we see low key lighting, back lighting and 3 point lighting

Low key lighting is used in this scene to create tension it makes everything seems dim and mysterious this makes the audience wonder what’s going on and makes them get more involved into the scene, back lighting is used when we have the 2 shot and we see Neo and Morpheus sitting down talking but they are silhouettes and the audience cannot see there features this creates suspense and shows us they are interacting lastly we see 3 point lighting used when Neo is presented with the choice of pills we see Morpheus’s  hands lit up this is what catches the audiences eyes and draw them to the pills also it helps get the audience involved in the scene and creates suspense. One other thing is the way we are presented with Neo and Morpheus, we can see Neo’s face clearly and his reactions/ facial expressions but Morpheus is slightly shaded showing he is a mysterious character in the situation this makes the audience feel as if Neo is the innocent person in the scene were as Morpheus is the negative darker side of the scene. Overall this scene has a dark and mysterious mood to it. These techniques are common to fantasy /sci-fi films because they help create suspense and tension also this also helps draw the audience into the narrative

Smart Shooting

Objective: To identify convectional shots to create a successful thriller films.

Generic Conventions for a thriller film
Tracking, Shadows, Handheld camera, Establishing shot, Costumes, Close ups, Haunted house, Tilt shot, Back lighting, Diegetic/Non diegetic music, Blood, Low key lighting, Wipe pan, Creaking Doors.

Halloween Resurrection part 1
- Handheld tracking-POV(point of view) making the audience feel involved
- Low key lighting, Diegetic sound used to create suspense.
-Close ups to show actors facial expressions
-Tracking following the character when shes getting chased
- Use of flashback, brings suspense to the audience, Point of view also used in chase scene puts the audience in the victims shoes, the camera also flicks back and forth behind the victim to bring tension to the audience
Location- Asylum, Uncomfortable location, unpredictable building suspense- slow movement, then the music increases tempo and becomes louder, this also creates tension and emphasises the thrill involved in the chase.




This film allowed my group to get a better understanding of a thriller film and to understand its conventions, In the opening scene of Halloween Resurrection there was a part that appealed to me and that was when

Laurie Strode ( Jamie Lee Curtis ) looks out of her window after the nurse has told her intern about the patients past involving in a murder they say to each other it was a load of make believe stories then as they walk out of the patients room you see the killer in his mask looking right at the window as if he heard what they were saying, i think this was conventional and suspense building as it sends a message right to the crowd that he is a murderer and has returned to see the patient Laurie Strode ( Jamie Lee Curtis ). Also these conventions were essential to my planning and I would like to use a murderer as one of my chacaters as i think that this would help to appeal to my target audience and also help to show the conventions of a thriller film.

Narrative Theory- Propps Theory

Lesson Objective- To be able to show an understanding of what narrative theory is.

Lesson Aims-
All will be able to describe the different points of the theory(E)
Most will be able to explain the different theories with appropriate examples(C)
Some will be able to use media language effectively to discuss the purpose of narrative theory with a variety of examples(A)

Narrative Convection's

-series of codes and convection that need to be considered
- Genre
-Characters
-Form
-Time

Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic that published his morphology of the Folk Tail in 1928 Characters according to Propp,  they have a narrative function that they provide a structure for the text.

Characters that perform a function.

The Hero- a character that seeks something.
The Villain- who opposes or actively blocks the hero's quest.
The Donor- who provides an object with magical properties
The Dispatches- who sends the hero on his/her quest Via a message.
 The False Hero- Who disrupts the hero's success by making false claims.
The Helper- who aides the hero in his quest.
The Princess- Acts as the reward for the hero and object of the villains Plots
He's Father- who acts to reward the Her for His efforts


Actions and Functions of the narrative.

Preparation
- a Community/Kingdom/Family is in an ordered state of being a member of the Community/Kingdom/Family leaves home a warning us given to the leaders if the community or a rule is imposed on the hero the warning is discounted the rule is broken the villain attempts to discover something about the victim of the broken rule, the villain tries to deceive the victim to gain advantage, the victim unwillingly helps the villain.

Film Credits

Objective: to be able to identify the purpose of credits within a thriller film.

What the purpose of film credits:

- Gives away clues towards the Genre of film through the text and font.
- Introduces the cast
- shows us the title of the film
-introduces the directors of the films (Producers)
- introduces the production companies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOPTcJEfKQI
Credits can tell the audience allot about the film by the use of colour, font of credits, and style of editing for example in SAW 5 we see the font all metal looking with blood stains down the wall in the background this hints this is a horror genre of film also it tells the audience that the film involves blood, the production company called Twisted Pictures, were the words are trapped inside barbed wire, then a metal nail comes down and tightens it around the words like a torture device this also shows the film is going to contain torture and violence, also the DVD cover and the posters contain a head on a scale this alone tell the audience this film will have something that links this image to the film.

In Seven the opening credits also helped understand the genre of film, you can understand what i mean if you watch this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY, in the clip you first thing you see is Bold white writing that looks like it has been scratched into wood, This gives the font a synister look the next thing you see is a man slicing off his finger tips this is disturbing and makes you think about the genre of film in away it hints it too you also it tells us in the title of the film that this film has some kind of reference to the number seven we then find out later on in the film they have seven days to find the murderer which proves that the title does reflect along with the credits on the film, lastly music used in the opening scene can tell the audience the type of mood the film will be set in, in seven the music throughout the credits was a calm relaxing sound then it changed to a tension building sound, with a rocky beat this brought tension through all the credits and set the mood for the following scene

I will use a red coloured font in my production, to show to the audience they are watching a thriller film, also i will have the font looking all gagged and sharp looking, this sets the mood for the film and puts images of knifes and blood into the viewers minds.

Examples of Font i might use

Opening Sequences

Objective: To be able to identify the generic conventions of an opening sequence within a film in particular a thriller film.

Generic Conventions of a Thriller:
Low key lighting
Sound
Straight cut
Characters
Opening Credits
Establishing
Lighting



Sex and the City

The narrative is romance, the characters we are introduced to are 4 women looking for love, the location we are shown too is  New York City, This started as a programme so in the beginning it showed us a bit about the characters and their history, most of the opening scene told us about the characters looking for love in the city also the title tells us that the main thing about this film is sex revolving in the city. Also these opening scenes tell us this film is aimed at a Woman audience we know this because the credits are sparkly and pink also very bright and glittery, this shows the audience this is a film appealing to girls and this represents the narrative.

Twilight

The narrative of this film is Fantasy/Adventure/Romance, the main characters we are introduced to are a girl called Bella and a boy which is actually a vampire called Edward, the location is a small village called Hawks which is surrounded by a forest we know this is going be a romance because we see her looking at Edward when she goes to school and asks the girls about him, we also know its a fantasy because at the begging  of the opening scene we see a POV (point of view) shot of something chasing a deer in the forest,we also know this films narrative is gunna be based around the girl because we are hearing her in a voice over telling us about her life which also informs the audience.

Editing

Objective:
All: will be able to explain the purpose of one editing style
Most: explain 2-5 different editing styles with examples
Some: 6 or more different styles using accurate media terms and example.

Here are some of the editing styles and what they mean.

Reaction- Any shot that shows a persons reaction, For example if someone was insulted the camera will show a persons reaction to that insult.

Invisible Editing- Used in most films to support the narrative and support what people see on screen.

Montage- Is the speed of editing, where shots are quickly juxtaposed together to create excitement. E.G. will look blurry sped up and unnatural, cannot make the images out.

Slow Editing- When clips are juxtaposed together at a slower pace and this is to create suspense show more information of location and narrative.

Straight Cut- An abrupt juncture occurs which has no significance to what is happening at the moment. can be very quick editing when allot of straight cuts are used. 

Fade Out- The screen fades to black and this is often used at ending for example at the ends of a episode on TV it fades to black.

Dissolve- One image slowly disappears showing another shot below it with no cutting.

Wipe Out Or Wipe Out- Where a main scene is pushed out of screen showing another scene below.

Jump Cut- When a film suddenly focused on something and goes from a long shot to a close up.

Linking of sections- Is where one section of a film is linked to another scene which has significance.

Linking Shots- Is where a number of shots are linked together to add emotional impact.

Timing Shots- In the editing stage some shot are either edited slower or quicker to add emotional impact or to create suspense.

Kuleshov Effect- Two random images put together to show some kind of narrative. we as an audience put together.

180 Degree Rule- Must keep the same left/right symmetry so if the camera is placed on the left on a conversation it stays on the left side

Shot Reverse Shot- This is used mostly to show a conversation when someone is talking to another person and they are replying back.

Graphic Matching- is when one shot goes into the next shot with a similar shape for example a person blows out a candle then the camera zooms into the smoke and zooms out at a train with smoke comming out.

if you need an example of any of these Techniques they can be found on this website.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Sp59lQD7Q or watch this video for a reminder.

Film Censorship

Film Censorship

Learning objective: To understand the purpose of film certification and to apply your understanding to your own thriller film.

Lesson Outcomes: Students will understand what a film certificate is and explain its purpose with detail and their own understanding.

Film Certification

Universal Children Suitable for all, but especially suitable for young children to watch on their own

An example of a Uc film is UP, this is a Uc film as it contains no violence and does not require parents to watch the film.

Parental Guidance General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children

 An Example of a PG film is Enchanted this is a PG, because it does not contain any violence or disturbing scenes.

Suitable for those aged 12 and older (for example mild nudity or bad language) an example of a 12 rated film is Angels & Demons as it contain some mild violence and scenes involving blood, this is also considered as a 12a which means a parent might need to be present when watchign this film.

            

       Suitable for those aged 15 and older(slightly more violence/bad language may also contain blood) an example of a 15 rated film is 28 Days Later as it contain bloody scenes, scene that contain violence and bad language.

Suitable for those aged 18 and older (may contain strong nudity, blood and gore also bad language). An example of a 18 rated film is SAW because it contain exstream violence and gore also bad language. 

       These film certificates are given to films by a company called BBFC, which stands for British Board of Films, this company double checks films to see if they are in the right category suitable for the British public they also do this to protect certain age groups from violence. if you wish to know more about what they do you can visit there site http://www.sbbfc.co.uk/ all information can be found on here if you do not understand the information above

Editing Techniques

Objective:

            All: will be able to explain the purpose of one editing style

            Most: Explain 2-5 different editing styles

            Some: 6 or more different styles using accurate media language.

Reaction:

Any shot that shows a persons reaction for example if someone was insulted the camera will show persons reaction to the insult.

Invisible editing: 

Used in most films to support the narrative and support what people see on screen.

Montage:

Is the speed of editing, where shots are quickly juxtaposed together to create excitement, will look bury and unnatural.

Slow editing:

When clips are juxtaposed together at a slower pace and this is to create suspense show more information of location and narrative, time each edit takes place is longer apart.

Straight cut:

An abrupt juncture occurs which has no significance to what is happening at the moment.

Fade Out:

The screen fades to black and this often means an editing to an episode usually slowly then music follows can be at the beginning of episode.

Dissolve:

One image slowly disappears showing another shot below it without no editing or cutting.

Wipe Out or Wipe Cut:

Where a main scene is pushed out of screen showing another scene.

Jump Cut:

When a film suddenly focused on something goes from a long shot to a close up.

Linking of sections:

Is where one section of a film is linked to another scene which has significance.

Linking shots:

Is where a number of shots are linked together to add emotional impact.

Timing Shots:

In the editing stage some shots are either edited slower or quicker to add emotion impact or suspense.

Kuleshov effect:

Two random images put together to show some kind of significance or show some kind of narrative, we as an audience put together.

180 degree rule:

You must keep the same left right symmetry so if the camera is placed on the left side of conversation is stays on the left side.

Shot reverse shot:

This is used mostly used in conversation when someone is talking.

Graphic matching:

Is when one shot goes into the next shot with a similar shape for example blows out a candle the shot goes to a train with smoke coming out.

Micro Element Seen In Opening Scene Of Seven

	Point	Evidence	Explain
Cinematography	Establishing shot (Kitchen)	In a house or apartment	When film begins first thing we see is a character in a kitchen(Morgan Freeman)
Sound	Police sirens (opening scene)	As character first emerges on screen	Add the suspicion of the film being a type of crime genre
Editing	Water tap ( Dripping water)	not originally in scene	The sound of the dropping water has been made louder
Mise en scene	Police badge, knife	Been placed on the bed side table in a certain way	Character has a routine so he places everything in a certain place which he picks up one by one
Target audience	Appeals to All ages But target audience IS 18+	18 age certificate also it is a thriller which appeals to 15 and above.	Thrillers aren’t suitable for anyone below the age of 15 and the film you need to focus to understand what is happening.
Surprise (to see)	When he picks up the police badge confirms it is a crime/thriller type film	Also he has a throwing knife next to his guns which is also surprising	When you see a crime story of policemen you do not expect to see them carrying throwing knife
Shock/suspense	Guy cutting off hit finger tips	In the title sequence you see him cutting off his finger prints	He is obviously a villain or murderer and has removed his finger tips so they cant be traced or found at crime scene

Task 2

I think Se7eN is a thriller because it is a movie that concentrates on more than scaring the target audience SE7EN makes you listen and focus on the storyline so you have to think also get involved in the action and imagine what is going to happen next this is also a suspense creating tactic to make the audience on the edge and completely focused on the film, also they have added scary motion building music thought-out the scenes.

Task 3

By watching SE7EN many times I have found they use low key lighting and dark, scary music when they are about to reveal something, or something is going to happen I can use this method in my thriller. Also in this film they keep the murderer unidentified till the very end but he is shown to the audience as a dark figure never showing his face always covered and slightly blurred. I can also use this in my thriller to ad tension