Thriller evaluation 27/03/09

Having completed the task, being our two minute thriller sequence, I feel more than satisfied with the work that my group and I have put in. We learnt much, having tutorials for different aids like Final Cut pro, Live type and Soundtrack, which we used to edit, manipulate and enhance our piece.Before we initially started the filming process, we looked at various other thriller openings for example “the shining” and thriller openings that other groups created and this stimulated ideas in our group. We took into consideration what they had in common- the conventions they held were very particular.www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw23KM3-Ry8 - 75k- the opening sequence of “the shining” The conventions typical of the thriller genre are to do with the editing for example, quick cuts and camera angle changes. We find that the use of shadows, mirrors and stairs are also conventions of thriller movies. However, music that creates atmospheric tension is also typical of this genre. We included many attributes associated with real thrillers and this is clear, first and fore-most in the shot types. We used low and high angle shots to emit the vulnerability of the main character- teenage girl Corinne, and low angle shots-, which made villain, Jordane, seem bigger and more menacing. We used these in the setting of out thriller opening- in the living room and from the top of the stairs. Setting the thriller in our main characters home added realism and makes It even teffifying for the audience. This is because we all associate our homes with safety – out haven that when we arrive back from college and work, know is safe and there is no fear of being watched or that someone will invade our privacy. So setting it in the house I think is shocking as it can arouse questions. Are we really safe in our own homes or is this just something that couldn’t possibly happen? We looked at other shot types, which we think, made our thriller typical of the genre it holds. Shot-reverse-shot is effective when showing contrasting reactions between two or more characters. We used this shot type with our main characters at the end of the scene in the bathroom when our villain confronts the young teenager- the climax of the sequence. Extreme close-ups are included in our sequence, more at the end however when teenage girl Corinne comes face to face with antagonist Jordane. Definitely, something intended to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Hand-held camera movement also creates uncertainty, a lack of steadiness and if there is any action, using the camera hand-held creates fast-paced action. Looking at the conventions that thrillers hold, to make them the distinctive genre they are was really helpful. Getting a good insight into the type of camera movement, shot types, even settings, and props gave us ideas to work with and develop. There are just two main characters in our opening sequence being perpetrator and the indefinite victim. If it were to become a proper film (middle and end included) then other possible characters would definitely be considered – maybe myself or Abdul. The characters in our thriller are Jordane and Corinne,- Corinne was representative of the typical, stroppy teenage girly girl living in London in a well presented house. Jordane however, being the antagonist was representative of a black male armed with a knife. We are all fully aware of the spree of black knife crime that has been apparent in London for some time now; we decided to portray Jordane as this stereotypical character. The media are more than aware of this “black on black” epidemic, and we touched on something sensitive and thought- provoking. Basing our work around such a surreal issue appeals to many people. It can relate to some- and make others think. I think that because our thriller touches upon something found mainly in London and the UK (black on black problem fundamentally) it could be distributed in cinemas in the UK –not a Hollywood blockbuster as such but just as a small independent UK release. I think people would be intrigued and interested in our work as it’s definitely a different take (everyone’s work is different right?) on the subject. In terms of who our thriller is particularly aimed at, I would say it definitely is not a limited range of people. Teenagers like us who filmed the work- college students,- university students even between the ages of say 17 and 25. People who aspire to make something of themselves - with ambition but who can have a laugh as well (the amount of funny takes we had! We could have compiled those into a “on the set of Illicit content!”). More importantly however, people who enjoy watching thrillers and being made to jump. Let us say for example; Curtis, 18, currently studies at university and loves watching movies with his girlfriend. In particular- thrillers! Why? Because he loves watching her jump about, scared to use the bathroom on her own! This is all done through the high level of anticipation that thrillers incur – and this is what makes them so very successful. It is the heightened climax- the red herring even. The cliffhangers and the suspense. We attracted our audience with the characters we used- who are ordinary students with no background of mental issues and nothing that makes them in relatable yet indifferent. Corinne. The typical teenage girl with the pink room and the make-up still on her face (and somewhat smudged!) From yesterdays, party….ect (the majority of girls could relate to that scenario. I certainly did!) To market our thriller, I would suggest making some leaflets first of (as it will be an independent UK release) and distributing those in colleges and universities maybe. Obviously, the internet is a terrific way to publicize your work- we could make our own site and get some feedback from the public, leaving a comments section. Moreover, we could put a little trailer up, enticing people with the beginning sequence we created. The World Wide Web is also great for internationally marketing work as we for example; we could use YouTube and other sources where videos can be posted to popularize our material. As mentioned above, I definitely learnt much whilst doing this project. This is the first time I have used blogging before to record (if I am to consider journalism in the future blogging is an imperative tool) what I have done in class and the first time I used Soundtrack. I did media last year so final cut pro and live type were somewhat familiar to me, though the lessons lead by Mickey were helpful too. Looking back to when we first started this project, we did spend some time being educated on the basics from using the camera to editing and finalizing the soundtrack and so on. We did a match cutting exercise-, which can be used to underline a connection between two separate shots. We storyboarded ideas and drafted ideas. Then we drafted again (so full of ideas!) and finally had something we wished to film with. We blogged every lesson the steps we took in the learning and filming process and post-production. I found blogging a great way of getting the things we learnt down and it’s also insightful to see what others went through in there productions and you can learn from others indefinitely. I hope we get a good grade- as a group we all added our energy and inspiration- which made our thriller what it is. I love our work, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far. u