After sharing our idea with the rest of the class, we have realised that we need to give less of the plot away during the opening sequence so that the viewer is enticed to carry on watching the film.
In addition to this we also need to develop more of a story behind why the girl is being stalked and what is going to happen to her in the future.
We also need to consider using a wide variety of different lighting and need to be careful of the quality of our footage when filming at night.
We need to consider all possible locations that may suit our thriller and be more adventurous with the places we choose to shoot to make it more imaginative and enticing to the viewer.
Friday 28 January 2011
Thursday 27 January 2011
Final Thriller Idea
Our final idea is to have a character being stalked by someone and they receive texts and letters from an unknown number. Our film would be a psychological thriller as it is messing with the mind of the character.
The font we would use would be cut out letters from newspapers and magazines in either black, white or red as this would create a sense of mystery before the film begins. Throughout the credits certain words could be circled or highlighted that are of importance which will send out a message which will be picked up on later on in the narrative.
The title we would use for our thriller would be called 'The Unknown'. The reason we would use this title is because it provides a sense of mystery at the start of the film which instantly introduces you to the genre of the film.
The main character in our thriller would be a typical teenage girl being stalked and this would make it easier for others to relate to her. The other main character we will use will be the stalker however he will not see be seen throughout the film providing the audience with a greater sense of the unknown. We will use point of view shots from the stalker making it easier to relate to both characters.
The location we would use would be mainly in school and outside in Cambridge. When filming our thriller we will have to respect the public and will be willing to explain what we are doing if they ask. The lighting in our thriller will be natural as we are filming outside and as we are filming this time of year gets darker easily so we could choose to film later on in the evenings if we wanted to create a darker atmosphere.
The costume for the main character being stalked would be a typical girls college and later on in the film the costume would change to darker colours as the stalking gets worse. This will show the emotions of the girl how she is feeling and how it's affecting her every day life.
The music we will use will be tense and gripping. At the beginning of our thriller the music would start off with a steady beat and throughout the thriller the music will get more dramatic.
We will use handheld movements when using the camera making the audience feel as if they are there. Close ups of the face would also be used to show facial expressions clearly and the importance of other objects. Tracking will be used when following the girl as it helps add to the point of view to the stalker and increases the pace. Jump cuts will also help to increase the pace as everything will speed up throughout the opening sequence which will have more of a thrilling impact on the audience.
The font we would use would be cut out letters from newspapers and magazines in either black, white or red as this would create a sense of mystery before the film begins. Throughout the credits certain words could be circled or highlighted that are of importance which will send out a message which will be picked up on later on in the narrative.
The title we would use for our thriller would be called 'The Unknown'. The reason we would use this title is because it provides a sense of mystery at the start of the film which instantly introduces you to the genre of the film.
The main character in our thriller would be a typical teenage girl being stalked and this would make it easier for others to relate to her. The other main character we will use will be the stalker however he will not see be seen throughout the film providing the audience with a greater sense of the unknown. We will use point of view shots from the stalker making it easier to relate to both characters.
The location we would use would be mainly in school and outside in Cambridge. When filming our thriller we will have to respect the public and will be willing to explain what we are doing if they ask. The lighting in our thriller will be natural as we are filming outside and as we are filming this time of year gets darker easily so we could choose to film later on in the evenings if we wanted to create a darker atmosphere.
The costume for the main character being stalked would be a typical girls college and later on in the film the costume would change to darker colours as the stalking gets worse. This will show the emotions of the girl how she is feeling and how it's affecting her every day life.
The music we will use will be tense and gripping. At the beginning of our thriller the music would start off with a steady beat and throughout the thriller the music will get more dramatic.
We will use handheld movements when using the camera making the audience feel as if they are there. Close ups of the face would also be used to show facial expressions clearly and the importance of other objects. Tracking will be used when following the girl as it helps add to the point of view to the stalker and increases the pace. Jump cuts will also help to increase the pace as everything will speed up throughout the opening sequence which will have more of a thrilling impact on the audience.
Thriller Ideas
Idea One-
This would be in the genre of a crime thriller. The storyline would involve an unsolved robbery. We would use flashbacks in black and white which would show the character recalling certain memories of the event. The opening credits would show detectives solving the problem and collecting any fingerprints and information. This would be blurred to show the confusion and uncertainty of the memories. We would use a voiceover which would be slightly echoed to create the atmosphere of how distant the memory is.
Idea Two-
This would be based on a storyline of a teenage girl being stalked. This would be a psychological thriller as it messes with the mind of the character. The opening credits will be newspaper cuttings and text using the colours of red black and white. We would use fast editing such as jump cuts to show the pace of the film and handheld camera work to make the audience feel as if they are there.
Idea Three-
This would involve a teenage boy being kidnapped by the father of his ex girlfriend. We would use close ups in the credits and extreme close ups to show that he is tied up to make him look vulnerable. The camera work will involve high shots to show his vulnerability and low angle shots to show how inferior he is to the father. A blackout would be used to create a mysterious atmosphere before we see that he has been tied up.
This would be in the genre of a crime thriller. The storyline would involve an unsolved robbery. We would use flashbacks in black and white which would show the character recalling certain memories of the event. The opening credits would show detectives solving the problem and collecting any fingerprints and information. This would be blurred to show the confusion and uncertainty of the memories. We would use a voiceover which would be slightly echoed to create the atmosphere of how distant the memory is.
Idea Two-
This would be based on a storyline of a teenage girl being stalked. This would be a psychological thriller as it messes with the mind of the character. The opening credits will be newspaper cuttings and text using the colours of red black and white. We would use fast editing such as jump cuts to show the pace of the film and handheld camera work to make the audience feel as if they are there.
Idea Three-
This would involve a teenage boy being kidnapped by the father of his ex girlfriend. We would use close ups in the credits and extreme close ups to show that he is tied up to make him look vulnerable. The camera work will involve high shots to show his vulnerability and low angle shots to show how inferior he is to the father. A blackout would be used to create a mysterious atmosphere before we see that he has been tied up.
Tuesday 25 January 2011
Student Thriller Opening Reviews
R1-14
At the beginning of the clip, we are introduced to very soft music which slowly gets louder and this instantly creates a very tense atmosphere and suggests to us that the genre of this film is thriller. The camera pans across a wall which is covered in polaroid photos, showing their name and age, all of which written in red hand writing. This instantly gets the viewer questioning why this is all relevant, and will these photos appear later on in the film?
The lighting throughout the whole of this opening is very dark, and this creates a sense of mystery and really supports its genre of a thriller. The use of handheld camera work makes the scene very jumpy and unnerving to the viewers and almost makes you feel as if you are there.
The high angle shot of the girl sitting down makes her look very vulnerable and like she is not in control whereas with the protagonist he is shown with a low angle shot which is a point of view shot from the girl makes him look very over powering and like he has authority over her.
The clever use of location, a deserted barn, makes you believe the girls have been cut off from society against their will with no one to help by the protagonist, this makes you feel sympathetic towards them as they are helpless.
Halfway through this opening title sequence, a flashback occurs which is in black and white which has connotations that the footage is old so it is like a memory that the girl has of the events that lead up to her being in the location of the main footage.
The clip uses backing music throughout most of the clip which creates tension and atmosphere. The echo that can be heard when the girl speaks due to the location being in a deserted barn really emphasises how alone the two girls are, and how beyond help they are too.
P2-38
The non diegetic sound helps to create tension when the letter is posted through the door and the point of view shot looking out of the window
At the beginning of the clip, we are introduced to very soft music which slowly gets louder and this instantly creates a very tense atmosphere and suggests to us that the genre of this film is thriller. The camera pans across a wall which is covered in polaroid photos, showing their name and age, all of which written in red hand writing. This instantly gets the viewer questioning why this is all relevant, and will these photos appear later on in the film?
The lighting throughout the whole of this opening is very dark, and this creates a sense of mystery and really supports its genre of a thriller. The use of handheld camera work makes the scene very jumpy and unnerving to the viewers and almost makes you feel as if you are there.
The high angle shot of the girl sitting down makes her look very vulnerable and like she is not in control whereas with the protagonist he is shown with a low angle shot which is a point of view shot from the girl makes him look very over powering and like he has authority over her.
The clever use of location, a deserted barn, makes you believe the girls have been cut off from society against their will with no one to help by the protagonist, this makes you feel sympathetic towards them as they are helpless.
Halfway through this opening title sequence, a flashback occurs which is in black and white which has connotations that the footage is old so it is like a memory that the girl has of the events that lead up to her being in the location of the main footage.
The clip uses backing music throughout most of the clip which creates tension and atmosphere. The echo that can be heard when the girl speaks due to the location being in a deserted barn really emphasises how alone the two girls are, and how beyond help they are too.
P2-38
The non diegetic sound helps to create tension when the letter is posted through the door and the point of view shot looking out of the window
Friday 14 January 2011
Murder By Numbers - Crime Thriller Conventions
The first character we are introduced to is the protagonist of the film, much like the crime thriller convention, he is a boy that has hardly any friends and often has the mickey taken out of him for various reasons, because of the fact he is an outsider.
Every crime film, somewhere along the line, ends up having a tragedy. this is usually either the motivation for events happening e.g. the death of a close family member or it can be the actual plot of the story that someone dies. In this film a girl has been murdered who is close to the protagonist.
The central narrative follows a crime through its planning and execution which is not always successful. During this film we follow the protagonist and a friend planning a crime.
Crime thrillers usually follow a variety of characters who are from both the criminal side and investigating side, in this film we follow the antagonist who is planning the crime and the police who are investigating it.
Action Thriller Brief
An action thriller always has a fair amount of violence, and more blood than your average thriller. Weapons and brute force are often used as a way out.
There is lots of fast paced action right from the start, and the manipulation of people and government is not uncommon.
It is usually a high value motive such as money and secrets which causes the narrative.
Contrapuntal and non-diegetic sound is vital to enhance action.
The flaw the character has is unlikely to be physical, it is usually emotional.
The protagonist is usually a traditional action hero who is sometimes framed or mistaken for someone else.
There is lots of fast paced action right from the start, and the manipulation of people and government is not uncommon.
It is usually a high value motive such as money and secrets which causes the narrative.
Contrapuntal and non-diegetic sound is vital to enhance action.
The flaw the character has is unlikely to be physical, it is usually emotional.
The protagonist is usually a traditional action hero who is sometimes framed or mistaken for someone else.
Thursday 13 January 2011
Memento Film Opening Analysis
The very first part of the opening, is accompanied by non-digetic music played by string based instruments, using long winded notes which create tension to the audience. Use of this in-depth music instantly introduces the genre of the film to us as an audience.
After around 20 seconds of the credits being on screen, we see what looks like a man's hand, holding a polaroid photo which shows a corner of a room with the walls covered in blood and a man lying on the floor, also covered in blood. Every 5 seconds the photo is shaken by the hand, and when it comes back into the screen the photo slowly fades and becomes blurrier. This has connotations of the fact he is trying to get rid of the memory which he has just created by his own actions, and as he has to shake the photo around 5 times it shows just how difficult it is proving to be to get the memory out of his head.
The camera then tracks the photograph going back into the camera, which shows the reversing of time. This type of behaviour instantly has the audience in a confused state of mind, as in reality things don't happen in reverse. Therefore this shows just how unstable his current state of mind is.
This reverse action continues into the next shot, where we see blood moving up a wall, a gun flying back into his hand, and the bullet flying back to the gun. The man who was evidently dead on the floor comes back to life, however this shot ends where the man was holding the gun up to the other mans head. This suggests that he cannot go past that memory, it is the only one that he remembers and it wont get out of his head.
The next shot shows a close up of 'Lenny's' eyes, and this shot is in black and white. This links to psychological thriller imagery.
It soon becomes clear to the audience that this is a flash back, Lenny has no scratches on his face, and black and white colored clips have connotations of going back in time (old style films). After the shot of his eyes, we then see a panning shot around the room, which establishes the location he is in.
Throughout the opening a voice over is used as a stream of consciousness to give you an insight into the psyche of the protagonist. Whilst this voice over is being played, we are shown Lenny sitting on a bed through a birds eye view shot, this really shows us his vulnerability and loneliness.
After around 20 seconds of the credits being on screen, we see what looks like a man's hand, holding a polaroid photo which shows a corner of a room with the walls covered in blood and a man lying on the floor, also covered in blood. Every 5 seconds the photo is shaken by the hand, and when it comes back into the screen the photo slowly fades and becomes blurrier. This has connotations of the fact he is trying to get rid of the memory which he has just created by his own actions, and as he has to shake the photo around 5 times it shows just how difficult it is proving to be to get the memory out of his head.
The camera then tracks the photograph going back into the camera, which shows the reversing of time. This type of behaviour instantly has the audience in a confused state of mind, as in reality things don't happen in reverse. Therefore this shows just how unstable his current state of mind is.
This reverse action continues into the next shot, where we see blood moving up a wall, a gun flying back into his hand, and the bullet flying back to the gun. The man who was evidently dead on the floor comes back to life, however this shot ends where the man was holding the gun up to the other mans head. This suggests that he cannot go past that memory, it is the only one that he remembers and it wont get out of his head.
The next shot shows a close up of 'Lenny's' eyes, and this shot is in black and white. This links to psychological thriller imagery.
It soon becomes clear to the audience that this is a flash back, Lenny has no scratches on his face, and black and white colored clips have connotations of going back in time (old style films). After the shot of his eyes, we then see a panning shot around the room, which establishes the location he is in.
Throughout the opening a voice over is used as a stream of consciousness to give you an insight into the psyche of the protagonist. Whilst this voice over is being played, we are shown Lenny sitting on a bed through a birds eye view shot, this really shows us his vulnerability and loneliness.
Psychological Thriller Conventions.
* Central theme of identity - mistaken identity, stolen identity, dual identity, doppel gangers, confused identity and amnesia.
* Perception and reality - Seeing the narrative from the perspective of multiple characters, a character having a different perspective of what is and isn't real compared to the norm established in the film.
* Memory - The torture of an individual with a traumatic memory, the trauma of a specific lost memory.
* Stream of consciousness - This is a devise often used in psychological thrillers to give an insight into the psyche of a particular character usually the main character.
* Unreliable narrator - Psychological thrillers often play on the idea of the inherent trust placed in the narrator or the character that the narrator follows.
* Technical devices - Flashbacks and repetition in editing is common.
* Imagery - Eyes are a frequent motif.
* Perception and reality - Seeing the narrative from the perspective of multiple characters, a character having a different perspective of what is and isn't real compared to the norm established in the film.
* Memory - The torture of an individual with a traumatic memory, the trauma of a specific lost memory.
* Stream of consciousness - This is a devise often used in psychological thrillers to give an insight into the psyche of a particular character usually the main character.
* Unreliable narrator - Psychological thrillers often play on the idea of the inherent trust placed in the narrator or the character that the narrator follows.
* Technical devices - Flashbacks and repetition in editing is common.
* Imagery - Eyes are a frequent motif.
Tuesday 11 January 2011
Evaluation Of Vertigo
At the beginning of the title sequence to Vertigo, the first shot we see is an extreme close up. Only half of the face was shown, which instantly creates a sense of mystery, and gets the audience questioning why we can't see the whole face.
The next shot we see, is that of an eye. The shot is in red, and this has connotations of danger, therefore we instantly have our own outlooks on the genre of the film. Either horror or thriller. Then a hypnotic type effect circles the pupil of the eye, this gives off a sense of mystery to the film before it has even started, but it prepares us for what types of things may occur in the narrative. Identity is key in a thriller, and you can tell a lot about a person by their eyes. So having an eye for this opening also has a link that the film coming on may be a thriller.
The third shot is when we are introduced to the characters of the film. They are running across the roofs of different buildings joined together being chased by police officers. The shots, panning and tracking, and the use of quick music, are used create pace and tension in the clip.
We see here a point of view shot, we see the man from the police officer's point of view, and get a sense as if we are there.
We see here a point of view shot, we see the man from the police officer's point of view, and get a sense as if we are there.
One of the characters gets into trouble as he slips off one of those roofs in an attempt to jump from one to the other. Holding onto a drain pipe, and the use of a birds eye view shows his vulnerability in the situation. Behind him we can see the location of the film, a city, and due to the buildings being so tall, this also contributes to the fact he is theoretically against the world.
A zoom out shot before the character falls to his death shows just how steep the drop is, and puts the audience in an awkward, and frightened state of mind.
As the character is falling to his death, only one shot is used to show his fall, and that is also birds eye view shot. We see him getting smaller and smaller as he falls, and this shows just how helpless everyone is to him at this point, as there is nothing anyone can do.
The first shot below shows how desperate he is at this moment in time, as he is holding on to dear life, on something so weak and unlikely to hold his weight.
Thursday 6 January 2011
Preliminary Task
We had to use many different shots, which were: establishing shot, close up shot, match on action shot, reaction shot, long shot, filming conversation.
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