First Thriller Film Idea Feedback

Q:"Where are you going to get the music from?"

A:"We are going to decide whether to do the music ourselves or get it from Youtube or Premier Pro."

Q:"I thought it's a very good idea and has a lot of potential."

Q: "The idea was very original and scary. It can be done very well and it's very clear it's a thriller. However, where are you going to get your actors from?"

A: "We are going to use our family members and friends who have acting experience as they have done A level Drama in the past."

Q: "Are you going to let your actors and actresses wear their own clothes or give them costumes?"

A: "They will be wearing their own casual clothes as it's set in a home and they will use their own make up as they have suitable make up for the film."

Q: "How are you going to record the scene when you need a crane to do it?"

A: "We are going to figure out what room we can do it in and practice the angles in the room until we discover how to do it."

In summary, we have learnt from this feedback that we have a very good idea, however it is very complicated to complete. Therefore, we will need a lighting kit to help us with making shadows. We need to work hard on the camera angles and research the music we need to use to make it scary. We have also come up with a back up plan if it doesn't go to plan.

First Thriller Film Ideas - Prezi

We have based our initial thriller film idea around the opening sequence of insidious because it goes against the normal openings of horrors where by the family are all settled in and then the trouble comes later on in the film. We think this is important as it shows we are creative and think outside the box and don't copy all the usual stereotypes.

Research into Target Audience

Whilst planning our narrative, we wanted to get peoples opinions on what they liked about thrillers and what they would personally want to see in a thriller. We were also interested in their opinions on what they thought the target audience should be. We have used these videos to take into consideration what they want. Using their feedback, we will adapt our planned narrative.

How to make a Sweded Film

Sweded Films are amateur recreations of famous films using limited resources and technology inspired by the 2008 comedy film Be Kind Rewind. The films are typically much shorter in length than their originals and use shoe-string budget props to mimic the source material.

Origins:

The term “sweded” was coined in the 2008 Michel Gondry comedy film Be Kind Rewind, starring Jack Black and Mos Def. The film takes place in Passaic, New Jersey, where the declining VHS rental store “Be Kind Rewind” loses its entire video collection after being inadvertently magnetised. Mike (played by Mos Def) and Jerry (played by Jack Black) attempt to replace the store’s video collection by recreating films using a camcorder and claiming they are special editions from Sweden.

An example is Be Kind Rewind Trailer:

Three Point Lighting

Three Point Lighting

TPL adds dimension and the goal of it is to create the illusion of a three dimensioal subject in 2 dimensions.

Key Light - Main light used on the subject
Fill Light - Fills the shadows created by the key light, reventing it from getting too dark
Back Light - Seperates the subject from the background

Whichever wa the subject is facing in the frame, put the key liht on that side of the camera

The thing to be cautious about is to not create a second shadow. The fill light is too powerful if you see a seocnd shadow

Scrims are designed to reduce the lightwihout softening it. Jels are used to reduce light. You dont have to use a seperate light as a fill light.

No need for 3 seperate lights when applying 3 point lighting

What makes a good opening sequence?

What makes a good opening sequence?

• Introduction of the main protagonists and antagonist 
• Good use of sound and effects 
• Crucial to include titles
• Effective use of costumes - give characters meaning 
• Perfectly set up mis-en scene
• Fully prepared into terms of props
• Research how to do certain scenes and shots in advance 
• Writing a script in advance
• Less is more - no need to show everything e.g. Murder
• Make sense to the viewer
• Lighting and shot composition are key
• Shot list and story board need to be created beforehand 

Avoid Predictable places e.g. The woods
Avoid filming in the school
Avoid starting the filming with action
Small glimpse of the film. Avoid giving too much away.  


                                                                                                                                                       
This is a good example of an opening sequence because it sets the tone by portraying the typical conventions of a thriller however not giving too much away about the narrative. The non diegetic music shows us that there is an element of suspense about the film. Along with the isolated location, the birds eye view shows us that there wont be many people around. The opening sequence limits the information we are given about the narrative. 

Fugtive Poster

How I made the poster:

• Got the same picture of trees in a forest that the original poster used from the school resource library
• Cropped it to the relevant part of the image
•  De -saturated the image
• Used the curve tool to position the curve downwards in order to darken the image
• Used the burn tool to darken out the bottom of the image
•  Created new layers to drag in new image of the trees and man from school resource library
•  Selected the brush tool (cyan colour)
• Added colour mask (filter, blur, Gaussian blur)
• Used the rubber tool (hardness tool and reduce opacity)
• Added a layer and then light,in order to get the light straight across, I held shift when doing this 
• Used motion blur  tool to blur out the light
• Used selection tool to minus and add the correct edit of the male figure
• Selected and rotated the male image to make image accurate to original poster
• Enlarged and transformed image  to make the it bigger
• Cropped entire poster, narrow image to make it look like the original posters height and length
• Added text, white font = F U G I T I V E
• Right clicked on 'F U G I T I V E' layer and duplicate it and go on filter and blur out the title.

Film Poster

To make this poster, i used photoshop. I began by sketching ideas and planning what i wanted the poster to look like. i took a picture of my class mate and uploaded it to my poster. i removed the bodies of the protaganists and adjusted them according to the rule of thirds where there eyes are places at the point where people looking at the poster lay there eyes on first. I used the resolution tool to put the male and female bodies behind  the blooded hand. i then applied the burn tool to make the images fit with the genre. I applied a font for my writing that was typical of the horror genre. I made the poster include these particular people because i wanted the victim to be a typical blonde white girl who is vulnerable and an older black man to take advantage of that.

Articles to influence my filming

Analysis of a Thriller Film of my choice

I watched the opening sequence of lilya 4 eva. From the opening stages of this film i can infer that it is about a girl who is unhappy with her life so she decides to end it prematurely. It is clear to see from her makeup that she is being abused due to the bruises around her face. The desperation of jumping off the side of a motorway connotes that she is in a bad state and it is something she has been thinking about. The setting of the scene is very dull which reflects her feelings and self esteem. The glumness continues with the grey buildings and sky, also known as pathetic fallacy. The fast tempo music goes with the setting. The shot of her looking down on the motorway from the top signifies the end and her effectively giving up.

How i Filmed my Prelim

How i Filmed my Prelim

When i first started editing the prelim, I began by naming each clip to what they shots they were filmed at for organisation purposes so i didn't have to repeat going back to edit clips and not knowing what angles they were. e.g. if it contained a wide shot of a character, I would name it "Wide shot". 

A problem I noticed whilst editing the prelim was the difference in sound of some clips. This was something that i wasn't technically able to do so the prelim was at fault for this. As time advances, i can amend the prelim so the volume is better quality and the same sound for all the scenes. 

In order to produce what the script sheet required of certain lines of dialogue in certain angles, i had to keep cropping most of the footage so it fitted with the requirements. This took a lot of time and patience as i only needed a few seconds of each scene and it was hard to crop it perfectly so i had only relevant footage. 

I put in a wide range of camera angles in my prelim, including close ups, medium close ups, wide shots, low angle  and over the shoulder shots

I discarded the high angle looking down shot as it wasn't necessary because it wasn't in the dialogue of what we had to include as well as not being advanced enough to keep to the 180 degree rule. 

Editing the prelim was challenging at first because i had never done it before and all the tools were new to me however i got used to it after a while and then it became simple and enjoyable. The hardest part of the process was the initial editing stage as it was all new to me and i was a bit lost. 

The 180-degree rule was easy to keep to because we only filmed the protagonists on one side during each scene. e.g, Hannah was shot on the left side whilst Mia would only be shot on their right hand side. 

Different Types Of Opening Sequences Used In Films

Different Types Of Opening Sequences Used In Films


In a title sequence:

• Shows us the main characters/their names 
• A sense of the location
• Tells us the era it is set in
• Shows the genre
• Reveals the title
• A preview of the narrative
• Atmosphere/tone of the film - mis-en scene

Opening Sequence of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo:

• Fast paced rock music - action film
• saw characters names 
• short story shown - chance of love then destroyed
• revealed genre of thriller/action
• objects thrown in the air signifies violence
• Don't see a face - mysterious
• narrative = hackers/surveillance/technology 
• this is a discrete title sequence - no clear description of actors and story line. 

The Traditional Title Sequence:

• Introduction of main characters 
• clear sense of genre,location and narrative
• Sense of tone of film
• font is genre specific

Straight into the Film:

• Straight into the first scene with no title sequence. 
• Opening scene usually defines the narrative and plot
• most likely in action or horror

The Stylised Opening Sequence:

• Combination of straight into it and traditional sequence e.g. Skyfall

When creating my own sequence, i would use the straight into the film sequence as it is the most effective because it doesn't allow one to create misconceptions of the narrative as it almost straight away demonstrates what it is about. 

I analysed the opening sequence to The Incredibles. I liked this title sequence because it was traditional and was simple to understand the genre of action and adventure and a clear way to establish the narrative and main characters. 

Skyfall Essay

How is gender represented in the extract of Skyfall?

 

This extract of Skyfall showed a difference in gender roles in comparison to other films. The importance of a male or female character was shown through camera angles, sound, editing and mis-en scene.

We initially see that the camera is behind Bond and is tracking him as he advances around the room, this represents that he is a leader. We then begin to see an over the shoulder shot of him caring for a fellow colleague and disobeying orders from M to take care of him, showing that he is a caring hero. This is an unusual section where Bond was the authoritative figure and disobeyed orders given to him by M. This is a counter typical situation as you rarely see a woman in a position of power over the man, giving him orders and getting constant respect.  The behind tracking shot is then contradicted by a diegetic voiceover Bond receives in his hear from M. He is being given instructions and isn’t in charge. Furthermore, the eye line match demonstrates he is searching for a stolen object in the room and he is the hero in this scene. The tight fitted black suit shows he is important.

 

In the second scene, we see a wide shot of Bond when he gets into the car with Moneypenny. This was chosen to show he is powerful. Contrastingly, we see that she is driving the car when they are chasing the enemies in this fast paced, action packed scene. This is counter typical as you would usually see a male driving the car. This is overshadowed when Moneypenny breaks both wing mirrors whilst at high speed, putting a sense a reality back into the counter typical scene.  The fasted paced non-diegetic music throughout the scene, shows he is chasing someone and he is the hero as well as increasing the tension so one is exciting for the upcoming events. The cross cutting in this scene between Bond and M shows she is in power and control over his actions, further emphasising the counter typical behaviour. M is given her own individual office when everyone else has a shared one as well as her office being in front of every one so she can look out on what they are doing shows she is the most powerful figure.

 

In the final scene, we encounter diegetic dialogue between Bond and Moneypenny. The essence of the conversation shows that Bond is again superior and in control of their actions. This is shown through a low angle shot looking up at Bond from her view, reassuring his power and status. The close up of M is used to focus us on her facial expressions of seriousness, calmness and authority. The eye line match used in the final scene of the extract shows that Bond is putting himself into danger. This is then again showed through the change between the close up and the birds eye view of the landscape to show us he is high up and could be in potential danger.

 

Overall, we see throughout this extract that M is seen as a countertype and quite a masculine character as well as having power and asserting her authority over Bond and Moneypenny at appropriate times. Additionally, Bond is seen as powerful and heroic and the archetypal male that the young children want to grow up to be like! Finally, Moneypenny is personified as a stereotypical sidekick who conforms to stereotypical gender expectations by allowing a man to take control over actions and responsibilities. However, she does have some power as she was allowed to drive the car throughout the chase.

 

 

Scream

Analysis


Camera: Tracking shot - shows empty space and shows she is being followed. Medium close up shows innocence. Camera tilting slowly down shows suspense as well as the fast zoom.


Sound: Diegetic phone ringing. Non diegetic heart beat. Crickets shows they're in a isolated location. Non diegetic sound signifies change. Diegetic dog bark implies here is an intruder.


Editing: Match on action - phone ringing and her picking it up repeatedly! Vulnerable and naivety shown though slow pace scene and tracking shot, this adds to tension and shows he is being watched. Eye line match - her looking around trying to figure out where the person is.


Mis-en Scene: Tracking shot of the tree slowly coming down on the house - isolated location. Contrast of clothing, innocent girl wearing light colours and murderer wearing dark.


Textual Analysis of Scream

This horror thriller amalgamates the brutal violence of a horror and the rapid suspense of a thriller. In the extract we were shown, there were stand out moments using camera, sound, editing and mis-en scene.

Throughout the second scene, there was a Tracking shot behind the vulnerable lonely girl, this was chosen to exaggerate the amount of empty space and show that she is being followed.  A medium close up was used when she initially discovered the man on the phone was suspicious and psychotic, it shows the innocence on her face. Furthermore, the camera tilting slowly down shows suspense as well as the fast zoom.


 Additionally, there are elements of this extract where one can easily tell it is a horror thriller just by focusing on the sound. The diegetic phone ringing right at the beginning quickly began the film with a mysterious encounter with diegetic dialogue taking place. Non diegetic heart beat before the phone call implied that the film will be pulse rising. The sound of the Crickets when the camera pas from the trees down to her house shows they're in an isolated location. The non-diegetic sound of the music when the man on the phone reveals he can see her signifies a change in the mood of the conversation. The Diegetic dog bark when we first realise she is in trouble implies here is an intruder.


 Furthermore, there are simple editing techniques used in the extract that make it clear that it is a horror thriller. The Match on action right at the beginning is when the phone continuously rings and she keeps picking it up! Her vulnerable side and naivety is shown though the slow pace scene of her on the phone call when the camera never cuts away from her using the tracking shot, this adds to the tension and shows she is being watched. The eye line match of her looking around trying to figure out where the person is shows loneliness and fear.


Finally, Mis-en Scene is used when we see a tracking shot of the tree slowly coming down on the house; this clearly shows she is in an isolated location. The Contrast of clothing where the innocent girl is wearing light colours and the murderer is wearing dark. This is a clear but subtle representation of the genre.

Thrillers

Conventions of a Thriller Film

• narratives have similar themes - suspense
• Violence
• Hero and villain
• Dark lighting
• isolated locations
• Non diegetic sound that creates atmosphere/tension
• synchronous diegetic sound to match the action
• An enigma is set up (we want to find out who solved he mystery)

Editing Techniques

Editing Techniques

Continuity editing techniques - invisible editing use by Hollywood. Smooth transitions.

Eye line match - When we see someones eye line and what they are looking at.

Cross cutting - showing 2 different scenes at the same time in different locations.

Match on Action - What we see and the outcome of it. E.g. picking up and glass and then drinking from it

Cut away - Insertion of something to give it meaning. This is usually done at the demand of the character.

Jump Cut - A tiny cut in a sequence that moves the action forward. Deliberately meant to show the passing of time. This adds urgency to the scene.

Fade in/out - This is used to change a scene. It is often used in horror films.

Dissolve - One shot that blends into the next one. It also sows the passing of time.

Wipe - Transition of scenes in a windscreen wiper motion however can be done in many other ways, it is similar to animations in power points.

Sound Bridge - A piece of  music that links 2 scenes together. It is used to add continuity to a scene and make it look like there has been no editing.

Montage - Quick shots cut together to speed up time. Famously used in Rocky.

Split Screen - 2 actors in different locations on screen at the same time.

Flash back -  Going into someones mind to provide a scene of what they are thinking. It provides context and a backstory to the character.

Slow Motion - It builds suspense, usually used in fight scenes and Romantic comedies to exaggerate when couples reunite.

Pace - slow pace signifies sadness. The genre of the film is evident though the pace. Pace shown through dialogue when it is important to the narrative. Fast pace used for high intensity and action.

Shot Reverse Shot - Used to convey information via a conversation. Cutting between peoples shoulders when the other is speaking.

Reaction Shot - focus on a character and shows their reaction to a situation.

Camera Time - The amount o time the camera spends on a character. More time on camera = More importance.

Skyfall

Skyfall

M is a counter type and a masculine character. She is powerful and has authority.

Bond is powerful and heroic - The archetypal (inspirational person) male

Moneypenny is played as a stereotypical sidekick. Conforms to gender expectations by letting the man take the role however she has some power. This is shown when she breaks the windscreen and disobeys orders in doing so.

Analysing Camera, Sound, Editing and Mis-en Scene in selected Skyfall scenes

Camera:

Behind character - tracking him, this represents that Bond is a leader. Over the shoulder shot shows Bond is a caring hero.
Wide shot sows Bond is powerful. When he camera is below him and looking up at him it show his power, authority and status. Bond shooting is used as a tracking shot showing he is the action hero.
The close up on M shows she is taking charge and then the quick switch between close up and birds eye view represents danger.

Sound:

Bond is not in charge and is following orders from M - The diegetic voice over. The non diegetic music shows that he is casing someone and is heroic for doing so, it also creates tension. The aggressive diegetic sound when M tells Bond to leave the man to die shows she is heartless. The diegetic dialogue shows Bond is in control and is superior. The non diegetic sound confirms heroism.

Editing:

Eye line match demonstrates he is searching for a stolen object. The match on action shows he is a hero. The cross cutting shows M is in control and is ordering Bond. This is countertyical of societal norms. Cross cutting also shows that Bond is fast, calm and successful under pressure. The eye line match shows the danger Bond is putting himself in. He has strength, determination and is a hero.

Mis-en Scene

Bonds suit shows his importance and his authoritative status. The props he uses e.g. gun, sponge and laptop shows the agency invest in his talents. The other prop is when the car comes to pick him up as soon as he exits the building. Furthermore, M has her own office where she can see everyone in he office, this evokes power and authority. The societal norms are put into realism again when they show stereotypical female driving when moneypenny breaks both wing mirrors. When Bond takes over the wheel after she does this, it shows he is fearless, experienced. This also shows that there is a continued patriarchal society.

The 180 Degree Rule

The 180 Degree Rule

The only way to break the 180 degree rule is by showing movement. This can be done by tracking, steady cam or panning. To change the 180 degree rule, you can also switch to another character and then cut back as his helps establish continuity.

Eye line match - someone isnt breaking the 180 degree rule

Kill Bill Volume 2

Kill Bill Volume 2

Sound in Scene 1:
Heavy breathing - panic
Drilling - no escape
soft music - western
Slurping of drink - beer, shows power, typical hillbilly
Gasping/panting - fear
Crickets - isolated locations
Dirt falling on wood - burned alive
Laughter - No mercy
Truck driving - rednecks
Hammering nails - extinguishes hope
Torch clicking - torch out = hope gone
Banging
Grunting
Digging
Crying
Feet being dragged

Scene 2
Music - Hope, triumphant, increases in pace the closer she gets to escape
Sound of her trying - grunting
Calmness once found knife in shoe
Heavy gasps of air as she reaches the surface
Non diegetic music stops because she is triumphant
Light becomes brighter shows optimism and hope
Props - Knife and Torch
Coffin looks bigger in this scene
Extreme close up further emphasises determination
Close up to feet shows there is something important in her shoe
Eyeline match - urging resources to escape

Mis-en Scene

Mis-en Scene

Costume
Lighting
Actors
Makeup
Props
Setting

Costume - personality, era, importance, class and status
Lighting - Shows if characters good or bad by creating shadows, low key lighting is sad and high lighting is good
Actors - Movement, posture, expression and gestures
Makeup - representation of what they have previously been through and shows a characters health
Props - Posters, table, chairs, computers, folders, guns. Any object used in the film

Sound

Diegetic - sound that the actors can hear
Non diegetic - Sound that the actors cant here
Synchronous - sounds that match the action on the screen
Asynchronous - sound that doesn't match the action on the screen
Contrapuntal - sounds that are opposite to the scene

Semiotics - The study of signs and symbols

Signifier + Signified = The Sign

Signifer = The object
Signified = What the object represents
Sign = Cultural connotations of the object.

Poster Analysis

Poster Analysis - Rule of Thirds and CLAMPS

The designer has used a typical writing picture writing frame when setting out this poster. The rule of thirds is used effectively as the eye line of the main characters is on the line of the top third, this is the place the person looking at it places their eyes on first. The costume in the poster is effective as the blood on the characters shirt signifies hes been in some form of danger, this gives the viewer an idea of what the film is about. The bright lighting in the background of the poster represents the daring side of Vegas and the characters go on wild nights to take advantage of what it has to offer. The makeup on the characters is used effectively as it makes the middle character seem very tired and drowsy, this gives an impression that the film involves drugs and violence because of the blooded cut on his lip. The glasses on the  man and the baby on the left imply that there is an element of comedy in this film and opens a mystery of why a man has a baby strapped to him in Vegas? The poster tells us where this film is set. The actors facial expressions with the clothes and props signify that this a typical lads trip to Vegas and we should expect that of this film!

This poster is effective as it uses the rule of thirds. The top left corner which is where the majority  of people focus first is were the villeins eyes are placed. It is clear that the people positioned at the top corners of the image are characters you're supposed to like as they are smaller as well as the grin they are making, it is mysterious and evil. This is a typical poster as the writing is in the bottom third which is the area of the least importance. The main message of the poster tells you that the boy is in trouble and these two men are coming after him in some way. The boy is wearing a red jumper which signifies danger and the man in the top left corner is wearing a plain black hat to imply he is dangerous and could commit a crime. The facial expression of the boy represents danger and fear as the mouth is wide open and  his hands are on his face to represent sock.  The setting in the background shows Christmas lights. The lights contrast the picture as it is supposed to be a happy  time of year however violent events take place!

Designer has applied the rule of thirds in this poster by positioning the character in the top third, this is where the most important things are placed as it catches the readers attention the most.  Costume is important as it is formal and shows his importance within the film. He is the only character in the poster which signifies is outlining importance in the film.  His dark outfit with the light background contrasts the character with the background to make him stand out.  The gun is used as a prop to show the film is violent and murders will take place. He is also not looking at the camera and is pointing the gun at someone else which implies he has an enemy he wants to kill.  The setting of the Eiffel tower and the burning city represents there is danger and things are getting damages throughout the film.

        

Introduction to me

Introduction to me:

A bit about me

I'm Louis Martin, I'm 16 years old and I go to JFS in North West London. I have 2 brothers, one older and one twin. I love watching and playing football and golf with my friends and family. I support Arsenal and I enjoy going to most home matches.   

Why I studied media

I chose to study media because I have an interest in the power that the media has on people and the way it can alter peoples opinions on certain subjects e.g. politics. I listen to the radio every night and I keep up to date with al the news using social MEDIA.

Favourite film

Nerve is my favourite film because it incorporates danger, money and technology together with relatable characters. It has gripping scenes where you sit right on the edge of your seat. The camera angles are very impressive as they tell the story without words or expressions. It is clear by the camera angles who are the most important characters as well as who the director invests the most camera time in.



Favourite music

My favourite type of music is RnB because I like the beats and the pace of the song is exciting and mood lifting. My favourite artist is Drake. I listen to music every day on the radio or on my phone.