Evaluation

Our thriller develops and challenges forms and conventions of real media products in a variety of ways e.g. through mis en scene, camera shots, camera movement, the narrative and the soundtrack etc. Firstly, our story line is based around the character type of a criminal and an innocent victim; this is conventional of thriller films which are often based around a criminal and an innocent victim. E.g., the film ‘Phone Booth’, this film is based around an innocent man and an unknown criminal who is manipulating, twisted and cunning.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2935882521/

In terms of camera shots our film is conventional of the thriller genre and this is because we use a as close-ups and / extreme close-ups. We used several of these intensive shots throughout our production and each of these shots intensifies the action and help to create suspense and tension. films such as ‘ The shinning’ use close ups very effectively




Our film is conventional to the thriller genre and this is because as a group we got a lot of tips on how to make a film effective when we watched the BBC documentary presented by Thomas Sutcliffe which talked about different film openings and how effective and ineffective they were and the reasons why were successful or unsuccessful. We learnt that a good beginning arouses some questions that the film must then answer. The audience should be left in suspense of what will happen next. It should give hints of what will be taking place letter in the film (foreshadow). This can be seen in our thriller in a panning shot in which a knife moves across the screen suggesting that Corinne is going to be killed or hurt. This shot also makes the audience feel on edge; stereotypical props such as knifes tend to conotate danger and death.



There are many different ways of opening a thriller. According the critic Stanley Kauffmann the classic opening is an establishing shot. This is often filmed as a long shot and at a low angle. These classic openings inform the audience of the where-about of the film and it provides them with vital information. These types of shots often start with an exterior setting followed by an interior shot; we followed this classic way of film opening. We used an upbeat soundtrack at first to suggest that the main character had been out the night before, as the opening goes on the music becomes more intense and dramatic. The contrast in sounds adds to the tension and it suggests that something bad is going to happen. For the soundtrack, we used instruments such as a piano and strings, this is conventional to thriller films that often include high-pitched string instruments and piano sounds as a part of the soundtrack, we also used sound effects such as doors creaking and a heart beat thus heightening the tension. We used many diagetic sounds and this was because when conducting our research we found that many of the successful thrillers were thrilling because of the use of natural diagetic sounds. E.g., the scene in the shinning when Danny is riding is bike in the corridors of the hotel is suspenseful because of its use of diagetic and non-diagetic sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t60oY0TbTU&feature=related

In addition, we have used techniques such as teasers and cliffhangers in order to leave the audience on edge and wanting more.

Our thriller opening focuses on two characters main and these characters include a black teenage female( Corinne) and a black male intruder. Each of these characters carry representations of age, gender and class etc. The character Corinne is represented as a stereotypical teenager. E.g. in the first scene we see Corinne waking up fully dressed in going out clothes and with smudged makeup on her face. This shot suggests that she has been out partying or drinking the night before. Also, we show a shot of the clock and this lets the audience see that it is in the afternoon which portrays Corinne as the stereotypical lazy teenager.

Her bright and very ‘pink and fluffy’ room conotates that she is very feminine and girly, the pink curtains which have embroided little girls on them add to this conotation as well as helping to portray Corinne as a young character who perhaps been rebelling. We choose to film this scene in this location as we wanted to represent Corinne as a typical teenager, we got this idea from an episode of ‘Skins’ in which we saw a young girl sneaking into her pink and girly room early hours in the morning suggesting she was a typical teenager who liked to go out and have fun with her friends.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/01/25/lge_Skins_080125124330072_wideweb__300x300.jpg

This link shows the a conventional portrayal of teenagers and we wanted to also communicate this steotipcial outlook.However,it could be argued that Corinnes character is not stereotypical but counterypical and this is because you wouldn’t expect someone that has been out partying late into the night to come home to a pink and girly room .

The intruder is represented as a stereotypical black male criminal and this is heightened e.g. the fact that he is equipped with a knife. In the media today black males are often associated with crime and trouble especially knife crime. Secondly, he is seen as intimidating and this is through features such as extreme close ups and by having shots of only his feet leaving the audience feeling tense and on edge with lots of questions in their heads.


We filmed the opening in Tottenham in north London and this was because we wanted to help the audience understand more about the characters and in our case these characters were from a working class background. The terraced houses in the opening establishing shot is a big clue as to the social class that we wanted to represent throughout out thriller.(working class).



Our film is a small, low budget ,British production with a British cast and so the kind of institution that would distribute our film is most likely to be a UK company that distributes films around a small number of UK ‘ arthouses’ cinemas ,TV, the internet. Channels such as channel four often broadcast small films made by small production companies and as it is a popular channel, it would attract a large audience(especially if was advertised well on the channel and hammocked between two popular, well-known, and established programs. Alternatively, it could broadcast before or after a popular program). Chanel 4 broadcasts short films on a regular basis e.g. on Monday 23rd March ‘3 Minute wonder’ comes on followed by ‘Dispatches’.

http://www.channel4.com/tv-listings

Other possible distribution companies include, Trinity Filmed Entertainment, Soda Pictures, Shorts International (http://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/distributors.html)

I would like our film to appeal to a large audience but the target audience for our film is teenagers and middle-aged adults living in the UK and most likely in an urban environment. This is because teens and those in their middle age have large effect on the media in the sense that they are the ones who consume the most television/ cinema and this is clearly reflected in the type of films that are released. Young people are likely to enjoy our film and this is because our film includes quick images and modern technology. Institutions use many audience techniques in order to get the widest audience possible. One technique used is the use and gratification theory, this includes personal identification and it is where the viewer’s life is reflected in a piece of text. To make our thriller appealing to our target audience we have made sure that the characters are young and made sure that the film is set in an urban area (Tottenham), this will mean that the audience will be able to personally relate to the characters thus making them feel more empathetic and involved. We have also included a counter typical character ‘Corinne’ which means audiences will not always be able to predict the way that she thinks and acts thus creating suspense and thrill when dilemmas and predicaments occur. Another reason why we have decided to have Corinne as a counter typical character is because we felt that countertypes represent real life people and we want our thriller to be realistic. Our thriller will probably appeal to a niche audience of young, working class, black people and this is because all of the characters in our thriller are young ,black, and working class. The kinds of person that we feel would enjoy our film would be male/ female teenagers, living near, in, or around an urban area that enjoys watching films.



We will attract audiences to our film by having TV ads, billboards and posters. E.g. posters on busses in London thus attracting Londoners to our film. We could even advertise our film in places such as the underground and this would be a good place for capturing the attention of our target audience as well as other potential audiences (e.g. tourists). Ideally, if we had more money we could use a famous and well-known star such as ‘Aml Ameen (the star of Kidulthood) and this would inevitably bring in a large mass of people from our target audience.

http://www.amlameen.com/credits.html



I have learnt a lot during the process of making our thriller about the different technologies evolved. Firstly, I have learnt how to use a video camera and how to create different feelings through a range of shots. E.g. close-ups which often are effective in creating tension. Long shots which are good ways of helping to show settings and medium shots which often allow the audience to see a characters facial expressing etc. I have also learnt how to set up the camera correctly and how to adjust the tripod to create different levelled and angled shots etc.

I have learnt how to film in an organised manner stopping and starting the camera in the desired place without filming other old footage. In terms of framing I have learnt how to apply the correct rules when filming in order to create ‘useable’ footage e.g. making sure that there is a not mass of space above the characters head. As a group we experimented with a lot of different camera movement. We were unsuccessful in creating a tracking shot as we didn’t have the correct equipment to ensure that the camera was steady. To compromise we used shots such as panning or used a still cam.

During the project I have also learnt how to edit footage on Final Cut Pro, cutting and pasting clips in the right place without taking the attention away from the content of the actual product. I have also learnt how to create smooth match cuts e.g. we have used a match cut to show Corinne opening the door of her house and also when showing her journey down the stairs. In addition, I have learnt how to add in special effects such as cut dissolves in order to speed up time for example( we use a cut dissolve in our thriller right after Corinne gets her delivery of a usb).

Creating the soundtrack was relatively simple and it didn’t take very long due to the fact that we kept our soundtrack simple without to many layers. Also, because we could see our thriller whilst making the soundtrack we were able to put particular sound effects in the right place and at the right time e.g. we used the sound effect of a door creaking when the intruder enters Corinne’s bathroom and this conventional thriller sound adds to the suspense.
I learnt how to change volume of particular sections of our thriller in order to hide or cover up unwanted sounds e.g. various group member talking whilst filming say ‘ action, cut or go for example’. We created the credits on Livetype and we found that it was a very time consuming process. However, this was because as a group we kept over complicating things. I learnt that sometimes it’s the simple things are most effective. We discovered many potential transitions for our titles, and decided to use a live type font which meant that the credits would appear on the screen whilst the thriller opening was going on. We used a simple white font because white stood out against our product and we added an effect which emphasises the letters of each word as it appears on screen. Although are credits had a lot of movement they didn’t take away the attention from the thriller. Our main title ‘Illicit Content’ was on a black background and the words illicit is a bright red font. We decide to have the main title in this way because we felt that the red connotated danger and that the titles would stand out on the black ground. I also learnt how to conduct research on the internet and how to use blogger to plan, organise myself and refer back to. We also used the internet to blogger and YouTube to upload our video which has broadened the potential audience for our film.
Overall, I would say that the skills which I have learnt whilst producing our thriller have enabled me to become confident as a ‘film maker’ and it has given me an insight into the film making process.

From the preliminary task I would say that I have improved dramatically in terms of what I can do practically and also the knowledge which I have learnt. A lot of the facts which I have learnt I could have only learnt form getting involved and doing ‘hands on’ practical work. We used storyboarding in our preliminary task and as the project went on I started to realise and appreciate the value of storyboarding. Storyboarding helps you to stay on track as a group without moving away from the initial ideas and plans. Details storyboards are ideal because you can record down extra information like camera angles, shot types and the movements preventing you from getting stuff and idealess. They can take a long time to create however they are worth it has they are generally effective at saving time. When we did our preliminary task we didn’t think about creating a script we ‘went with the flow’, I have learnt that it is easier to create a script as this too saves valuable time. The filming process was initially very difficult when we did the preliminary task but as the project went on we got used to the equipment and developed our understanding e.g. 180 degree rule, and shot reverse shot which we had learnt in the preliminary task. The editing process was made easier by the time we came to edit our film as we already experienced it, and we had got the hang of cutting and rearranging, and adding in the front titles etc

In conclusion, we have been very successful as a group. If I were to do this project again I would plan ahead in indepth detail and communicate with other members of the group more effectively. Finally, I would be more organised, more focused and more aware of meating deadlines.

Putting the last bits of our thriller together.

Initally me and Abdul started to work on the soundtrack whilst Jordane focused on the credits.
The soundtrack that we came up with wasn't very thrilling and i think that i over complicated things. We decided to start again keeping things simple and using melow tones. We were later joined by Jordane and in the end we decided ended up working together on one computer and we mangaged to create a very effective soudntrack.

Our soundtrack includes natural sounds such as birds whistling and doors opening which we added on the soundtrack software, it also includes a beat and some orchestrial instruemtns ( violins). There is also the constant sound of a piano playing softly whch creates a sad and gloomy atmosphere as well as creating continuity. There is direct correlation between the soundtrack and the action e.g when the intruder comes in the house the music becomes very tense and thrilling. There is then the sound of a heartbeat which adds to the tension by making us feel empathy towards the main character.

When we had finished we imported the sountrack and the credits into the final cut pro. We out the credits in places in which we felt wernt key moments and this was to prevent the audeice missing out on key bit of infomation. The credits had to moved around several times until we were happy but in the end we managed to finish everything.

I am very happy with the work which we have produced especially in the short time that we did it. I feel our thiller 'Illicit Content' is very good and I feel that it looks very professional.

Editting our final shots

On the first day of half term, our group came in the edit our thriller. We managed to finish most of our editing within a couple of hours and this was because we had a wide range of very effective and useful shots. We have included several uses of math cutting e.g. when I open the door and when I walk down the stairs. Our editing is smooth and our camera work is very clean. We also have use of shot reverse shot between Corinne (me) and the intruder (jordaneTo show a passing of time we included a transition cross dissolve, this looks non-naturalistic but effective. We will be having credits that run over our thriller because we have already exceeded our time limit by a few seconds.

We stared to think about the type of credits that we would want to use and also the type of soundtrack which we would like. As we want our thriller to be ‘thrilling’, we would like to create a piece of music that builds in tension whilst complimenting the action on screen. In terms of diagetic sounds, the camera managed to pick up a lot of the natural sound e.g. water running, the sound of my jewellery jangling and doors creaking etc. We will be using many of these diagetic sounds in order to help heighten the tension and make things look and appear real and natural.

Next, we will be focusing on the soundtrack in detail and inserting the credits to our thriller.

Final filming day

Final filming day

We went to my house in North London, Tottenham, to film our new and improved thriller. We worked very hard and we managed to stay on track. We changed the setting to my house because my house has features that we felt would compliment our new ideas. E.g. doors with frosted glass, a doorbell, and a large open and clear space.

We started by filming with an exterior shot and establishing shot of the house which we shot as a long shot as this will allow the audience to get a grasp of the type of area that our thriller is set in, it will also allow are target audience to recognise and identify key mis en scene.

We also had a close up of my face and this was because we wanted the audience to see that I had smudged makeup over my face suggesting that I had been out the night before which is what we had indented. My costume included shorts and going out top, accessories and laddered tights, we chose this type of clothing because we felt that it would heighten the storyline about the young girl who had been out the night before.

Instead of the secret document being pulled out of a draw we decided to have it being posted in an envelope to the house, inside the envelope we put a USB as we felt this idea would look more effective then a piece of paper.

We continued with the bath scene idea and did many bathroom shots. E.g. looking into the mirror, removing makeup, taking off clothes and jewellery, running the bath etc.
We will still use the close-up of the plug that we had already filmed and edited previously and this is because we felt that this shot was extremely effective.

We also kept the idea of showing the intruders feet enter the house and we did this by panning the camera as the intruder (played by Jordane) walks further into the house.

Overall, we managed to finish filming all and more of out desired shots. We found this filming session effective because we were able to stay on task and were focused and productive. As the main character in our thriller, I had to act though I found this reasonably easy as I have had a lot of acting experience. As well as acting, I also imputed lot of my ideas into it and did lots of camera work when not having to act. Overall, I am happy with what we achieved and I look forward to editing next.

Planning our Thriller again...

Planning

The story line for our new thriller revolves around a delivery that comes threw the character Corinne’s door. In the delivery that is of an envelope is a USB that contains important information (unknown to Corinne). Corinne is awoken by the sound of the doorbell and she goes and retrieves this envelope. She then see's the usb and decides to load it onto the computer. As she had been out the night before and is still in her party clothes, and is tired and slightly hung-over. She loses focus and decides to go and have a bath and then go back to the pc afterwards. Whilst she is running the bath, an intruder who knows about this usb and wants the secret files breaks into the house. He is equipped with a knife and dressed in black. He then goes into the bathroom where Corinne is and in a threatening manner and demands to know “where the content is" ( the content being the information on the usb) he then slams the door shut and this is where we will be ending it. We decided to end the opening here because it will leave the audience wanting to watch more as well as leaving them on edge which was our plan.We have planned some of the shots that we feel would make our thriller looking very effective. Some of these shots include;

1.)A long shot of the Corinne’s house (establishing shot)
2.) An extreme close-up of the doorbell as it is being rung
3.)A close up of Corinne’s face as she sleeps
4.) A close up the a clock to show time passing4.)Various angled shots of Corinne’s journey down the stairs enabling us to have some math cutting
5.) A close up of Corinne’s hand as she opens the door
6.) A low angled close up f Corinne hand on the mouse
7.) A close up of the water and plug as the bath is being filled up
8.) A high angle of the intruder’s feet entering the house with a panning camera movement.
9.) Medium shots of Corinne in the bathroom
10.) Shot reverse shot between Corinne and the intruder as he enters the bathroom
11.) An extreme close up of the intruders mouth as a demands for the secret information( from two different angles)
12.) A medium shot of the intruder from the side showing the knife in his hand.

We planned the shots in this way to prevent us from changing the storyline and to make sure that we can film the thriller opening as quickly and
effectively as possible so that we have time to do extra filming.

We also discussed appropriate props and costume that we will be using. Now that we are organised I hope that the next filming session go to plan.

Dilema....

Today we went to do some editing of the shots that we had filmed hoever, we found that the shots which we had filmed previously were blurry and often out of focus, this means that we do not have hardly any work. We tried our best to log and capture any usable footage but from what we had it is clear that we are going to have to go over most of the shots again to make complete sequences.

As a group we began to get very stressed because we realised that the deadline was getting closer. We came up with the decision to shoot the whole thing again because we had completely sidetracked and come off task with our initial plans. We wrote down a detailed plan of each shot we would use and we made a story board to prevent us from falling off task.

3rd flimng session

Today at candy’s house we had aimed to film all of the exterior shots and we did manage to get most of the shots done. We wanted to create the feeling the Corinne (myself) was being watched as she started her journey towards Candy’s’ house. We created this effect by putting the camera behind cars and behind bushes for example. We also had a lot of close ups of me such as the close up which revealed the necklace I was wearing. We came up with this idea because we planned to show the necklace later on in the thriller opening but in the hand of an unknown man suggesting that he has harmed her. We also used the camera movement of tracking when I was walking down a road, this was good because it revealed key parts of my costume i.e. heels and we felt that this would help the audience understand and learn about my character. Also, the diagetic sound of my heels clicking created an underlying tension. Furthermore, we also had a point of view shot me walking down a road and then looking around suspiciously and we did this through the use of a hand held camera.

We did not manage not manage to get onto our shots of the unknown man entering the house but we will do that during the course of the week.

experimenting with credits

Credits

We had planned to film this lesson but members of the group were not around due to personal problems. Instead we started to think about the type of credits that we could use. We experimented with a range of fonts and font sizes and we managed to find one particular font which we felt look effective for the last credit which will be the title of our film Illicit content.

2nd Filming session

Today we went back to Candy’s house to do some more filming. We weren’t very productive and we were very un-organised. We focused on filming the exterior shots but this was very unpractical due to the harsh weather conditions, as a result I don’t think we performed to the best of our ability.

We did some establishing shots of the house and we also panned up and down the road. Our intentions for this was to create some shots that would show the audience of the type of area the scene is based in thus giving them a better understanding of the characters.

As we continued to film we came up with lots of ideas and we ended up changing the storyline and introducing a new character( Candy’s friend). To show that the characters knew each other we decided to show them testing and receiving texts from each other and we did this by simply having extreme close ups of the phones as they received and sent the texts.

We also re filmed the scene with Candy taking the document out of the draw and then reading it. Whilst doing this we realised the lighting was a lot darker in the room compared to the other bedroom scene which we had shot previously and this would look strange when we came to edit. After some deliberation we decided to film all the shots in the bedroom again with the exact same techniques and the same camera movement.

We have booked out the camera so we can do some more filming in our own time as we are starting to fall behind, we aim to finish the filming by next lesson.

First editing session

Today we started editing our thriller. We logged and captured all of our shots into Final Cut Pro and started to edit, this was difficult in the beginning as we had forgotten what we had learnt in the tutorial weeks back. We often ended up capturing footage at the wrong time and forgetting to stop capturing.

Towards the middle of the lesson we became more confident and we were able to edit quickly and effectively. We started with the plug scene this was smooth and effective and like we planned it was a long and slow edit before the next shot. We then inserted the point of view shot. We decided to use the shot in which we used a still camera which we set up so that we could see Candy from her room in the bathroom and then walking to towards her room. This shot was smooth and the most effective. We found that the other shots that we used could not be used as the camera movement was unclear, and messy.

The shots of the draw being opened were nice and clean when we edited it however, we took a long time trying to decide which shots would be the most appropriate to use. A major problem that we faced was that the paper in which Candy took out of the draw was actually a copy of a book and this could be seen in the camera as we had used a close up. This meant that the mysterious content didn’t important and it had nothing to do with our storyline which links to secretive information.


The low angled shot which we used wasn’t very fluid because in the shot just before this shot Candy was holding the papers differently to the way she was holding the papers in the low angled shot which was noticeable and unrealistic.

We finished editing with a tilt down from the low angle to candy’s feet. We came up with this idea as we wanted to then have and exterior tracking shot of a mans feet walking down a road who was heading towards her house.

Next lesson we will be filming our exterior shots and the shot of the mans feet will be included in our plans. We will also be re filimg some of our interor shots which were unsuccesfull.

I am very happy with what we have and I feel that our thriller has a lot of features which make it conventional to the thriller genre e.g. exaggerated close ups.

Snow Day

Due to the adverse weather conditions which we faced today 02/02/09
collge was closed for two days and so we were not able to film today like we had planned. Next lesson we will edit the shots that we have on final cut pro.

1ST Filimg session

Today we went to Candy's house to start the opening of our thriller film. We decided that we were filming in Candy’s house it would be easier and logical to use her as the main character because she would look more at home and relaxed in the environment which she is comfortable and familiar with. The first thing that we started to film was the bath scene. This started which an extreme close up of the plug hole which then progressed to the Candy running the bath. I found that this was particularly effective in setting the tone and theme. We felt that this shot would be ideal for a long and slow opening sequence which would leave the audience anticipating what was next to come.



The image opposite shows the first shot that the audience will see.



We decided to use the hand held camera technique to show Candy's point of view when running the bath and we did this because we wanted to use a range of shots from a range of perspectives.

We used a range of different shots and camera movement techniques to show Candy walking from her bathroom to her bedroom. E.g. A point of view shot of the journey, Panning from the bathroom to the bedroom, tracking, and also use of a still camera which we set up so that we could see Candy from her room in the bathroom and then walking to towards her room. When we move on to editing we will be able to choose which shot we think will be the most effective.

We then decided to focus on Candy who would go to her room and take out a document which is of high importance. We wanted to show this importance and I feel that we achieved this through a variety of shots that we had. First of all when Candy opened the draw we shot this from behind her and had the camera at waist level, this shot suggests that she is trying to hide something and the low tripod use makes it clear the what is in the draw is important. We also had a close up of the draw as it was being opened and this was because it created tension and we felt it would make the audience want to watch on in order to see what was in the draw. When Candy had the document in her hand we decided to have a low angled shot as it made her look superior and powerful suggesting she had power and control.

We faced a lot of problems throughout the day which meant that we took a lot of time meaning we didn’t get as much filming done as we had hoped. This included having to clean rooms and space so that the camera could fit and also so that the audiences attention wasn’t diverted to unnecessary Mis en scene, However, this was not entirely our fault as we had not planned to film today and therefore the necessary preparations had not been made. Other problems that we faced were that we weren’t very confident with the camera and tripod; we had a lack of concentration and focus, and moving the camera when it was on the tripod.

Next lesson we will be going back to Candy’s house to get some exterior shots and shots of another person who will be travelling towards Candy’s house.

Camera practice excercise 1

Mickey’s camera tutorial

In Andrew’s lesson we were given a tutorial by Mickey on how to use the use the video cameras and the tripods. We were shown a range of different effects that we can create using different camera angles and shots. E.g. we saw that high angled shots made the subject look weak and inferior. In our groups we can use these types of high angle shots to show the fear and weakness of a character(s). We were also shown the symbol for when the battery was low and we learnt how to put in and how to take out the battery. we also learnt how to put the cameras safely on the tripod without breaking the camera or causing danger to ourselves. We also learnt how to basic stuff such as recording, turning the camera on/off and on standby, how to adjust the focus and so on. I found this fiddly but I’m sure as time goes on I will get used to it and become more confident with the camera.A thrilling game of cardIn order to get used to the camera.

Practice excercise
In our groups we participated a practical filming and editing exercise where we were briefed to film part of a card game. We had to create an atmosphere of suspense and mystery through choice of shot distance, choice of camera angle and movement of the camera. We had to include an extreme close up, a tracking shot and an over the shoulder shot.My group decided to shoot the clip in the lunch canteen at the tables. We used the camera and the tripod safely whilst filming and we had lots of creative and interesting ideas. One of the main problems we had was that we were far too adventurous with our ideas and this meant that we spent a lot of time trying to create effects which were unnecessary and inappropriate to the task, I learnt from this that sometimes less in more. Also a lot of our shots were not still and shaky this was because we often forgot to step back from the tripod and leave the film to run by itself. Also as a group we kept changing who was doing the filming and who was being filmed which made us fall behind and unable to capture enough effective and usable shots. I think we should have done a lot more planning and recorded our ideas on paper to prevent us sidetracking.

Editing
Because of our delayed filming process this also meant that our editing time was limited which means that our editing was incomplete and I personally think that we were not able to create tension effectively. The software we used was called 'Final Cut Pro'; which is a professional editing piece of software. Our editing wasn’t very straightforward as there were a lot of unusable and incorrect shots and the shots weren’t very smooth. We didn’t have any sound effects due to lack of time but we did have some diagetic sound through the use of dialogue.

Conclusion
Although are filming and editing attempts were unsuccessful, on a more positive note I feel that our group has learnt from our mistakes and I think we realize that we need to be a lot more organised and we should work to deadlines. We could have had longer shots for each scene as long shots can often help build to a very effective climax and create tension as I have analysed, this would have also made our editing easier. furthermore, we could have used more camera angles and camera movement. In addition, we need to work on our camera handling and filming strategies to make shots steadier, I leant from my media teacher that we can do this by simply stepping away from the tripod when filming. The experience will be very useful in the future for larger filming tasks in which we can apply the skills which have learnt and we can also learnt from our mistakes.

'The Shinning' analysis

Anaylsis of the film ‘ The Shinning’We watched the thriller film ‘‘The Shining’ in our media lesson and I found that it was very successful and making me feel tense and on edge. The film uses camerawork, sound, editing and mise-en-scene in a conventional way of a thriller film and a lot of the time I was left feeling shocked and surprised. Throughout the movie the main technique used to create suspense and tension is sound which was mostly non-dietetic. Silence was also used very effectively and it helped to build up the tension and suspense.Whilst watching this film we were ask to look for at examples of suspenseful moments in which we gave feedback at the end of the lesson.In the opening sequence there is non-dietetic sound playing while we have a Ariel shot of mountains. The camera follows a car as it undergoes this long and isolated journey up the mountains and this creates an underlying tension as it shows audience how isolated and trapped the characters are going to be. The volume and pitch also increase to create a tense and suspenseful atmosphere. The diagetic sound doesn’t sound very jolly or happy and so it makes the audience think that something bad may happen. The speed of the camera movement increases as the volume of the music increases also and so the idea of isolation and seclusion is made even more apparent.we are given a hint about the events that will happen throughout the movie because the storyline is given during the interview with the hotel owner ( dramatic irony). From this, the audience start to think this is what is going to happen to this family which is suspenseful because we know something bad can happen anytime. it also makes us feel weak as we are left feeling helpless and vulnerable to shock and fright. This is a well-known technique of Alfred Hitchcock Another example of this can be seen in the movie is when the head chef arrives near the end of the movie. we know as an audience that the father is going mad and has a axe, this gets the audience on the edge of their seats because there waiting for the action to take place. When the character is killed we feel sympathy and empathy towards him as he is seen as a hero/ good spirit.There are also scenes in which the audience are left feeling as suspenseful as the characters. e.g. when we are following Danny through the corridors of the hotel on his bike, we feel like we are behind him so we don’t know what is around the corner either. The sound of the bike on the range of surfaces makes us feel tense because it sounds very loud and it is regularly silenced when Danny rides along surfaces such as the carpet.The maze chase scene was very suspenseful as we don’t know what’s around each corner and we don’t know if Danny is going to get caught or not. The Tracking shot heightens suspense and the use of high angled shots help us to see how weak and vulnerable Danny is. One scene that I found particularly effective was the scene when Danny sees the two girls (ghosts). This is because there were faced paced/ quick shot of dead bodies this made me jump of my seat and again the quick crescendo from a subtle sound to a loud sound contributes to the effect. It’s clear that sounds can really make a difference and create a range of effects especially through the use if a particular sound. E.g. the Jaws soundtrack automatically makes audiences feel tense and alert to the potential danger which lurks.Dominant devices which are helpful in building tension are close ups, long and slow edits, high angle and low angle shots, the soundtrack and the contrasting shots put together making which often gives us a false sense of security.

The Pitch - Corinne Gayle Osborne

Pitch for Our Thriller

Having had a brief discussion the lesson earlier on what the beginning of our thriller opening would contain, today our task was to pitch our idea for the opening sequence. We are required to write a script emitting our developed ideas.
Our narrative is based on a vulnerable girl, getting ready to go out in the afternoon jumping in the bath. Our key images and icons that will be used are feminine based- modelling pictures and bright fairy lights. We will use these to emphasis the girlish, vain teenage girl.

Our opening is set within an intimate location, in this instance my house. In particular, the upper level of the house- the bedroom and the bathroom. The home is seen, as a "safe haven" so setting it here will be effective, as we do not usually associate our homes with danger and mystery. In addition, we will be filming outside the house (providing an establishing shot) as our intruder lurks- waiting for the right moment. Another location we will be filming in is Tesco's- to show the audience that the Mother clearly is not the one venturing toward the house.
Music is another crucial aspect of our thriller opening. We have not made a final decision on whether we will use the college's own copyright free music or whether we will create our own as I have a keyboard at home, but that decision will be made in due course. It is imperative that out soundtrack matches with the opening in terms of the atmosphere it creates and how different sounds signify when something will significant occurs. We will have the music synchronized in time with the action. We aim to create lots of tension and mystery with the music we include- we want to scare our audience and leave them on the edge of there seats.

Our aim is to create a good film that will attract and engage many viewers. The target audience is young adults such as teenagers and we decided this because as teenagers we are aware of the things in which teenagers can relate to and therefore we will be able to use key features such as props in which teenagers are aware of and have an understanding of. This means teenagers will be able to recognise the key features, plots, themes and characters, which will help them to gain a better understanding of the film; it will make our film more realistic and therefore more thrilling and tense. In addition, we feel that our film will appeal to a much wider audience because it is based on everyday life events, which most people go through e.g. getting ready to go to a party. Furthermore, the opening is set in an intimate setting (home). Our thriller is aimed to scare our audience and leave them breathless and on edge.

For the lighting, we decided we would use natural light and standard everyday lighting. This is because we wanted to make our film look realistic and ideal for an intimate homely setting. One of our ideas is to shoot the film opening in the night and this is because darkness and night conotate mystery, crime, evil, and we felt that shooting the film in the dark would be conventional to a thriller film. We may also use white fairy lights in the bedroom scene and this is to help the audience get a wider understanding with the character thus making them develop a relationship with the character.

in terms of camera work we decided that we would use a range of camera shots the most dominant being close ups and extreme close ups. This is because close ups create a sense of drama and tension. It also reveals crucial information such as a characters emotions and feelings. An example of a close up that we will be using is of the door handle as it opens. This will create tension as the audience are left wondering what and who is behind the door and why they are there. We also have the idea to start our film with an establishing shot of a house party/ gathering/drink up, followed by an establishing shot of the main characters house. The establishing shot of the house will be filmed as a long shot and this is to help reveal the setting and the theme of the film. We may then use a medium shot or a close up of the main character getting ready and this will inform the audience whom the main character is. We will also have a range of different shots of imagery that has connotations of youth, femininity and vulnerability. We will also use high angles to shot character subordination, powerlessness, and fear. We are going to use a point of view shot to suggests that their is somebody else inside the house which we feel would be effective in creating suspense which will leave the audience guessing and wanting more.

Match Cutting Preperartion

In lesson we learnt about a technique called match cutting. This is when an action or a sequence is filmed over a sequence of shots.

We then watched the media departments exemplar thriller opening and it included a range of match cuts and other interesting camera work. The edits were very smooth and the ideas were very simple and un-complex. This shows that simple ideas can be very effective. We were then given a breif which was to film a sequence using at least one match cut, an example of shot reverse shot and we had to show our understanding the 180 degree rule ( by not breaking it). We had to show a character opening a door , walking into a room, and stting down opposite another chacter. We storyboarded our ideas and we filled in a sheet in which we planned how each shot would be. e.g We planned for shot number 1 to be a close up of the characters feet as they enter the room and the camera action would be tracking. We thought by not showing the feet we would be able to build the tension and create suspense by leavning the audience guessing. Next lesson we will be filming and editing our film ideas using the a piece of software called 'Final Cut Pro'..

Film openings BBC documentry

Film Openings

In today’s lesson (6th January 2009) we watched a BBC documentary presented by Thomas Sutcliffe which talked about different film openings and how effective and ineffective they were and the reasons why were successful or unsuccessful. I learnt that a good beginning will arouse some questions that the film must then answer. The audience should e left in suspense of what will happen next. It should give hints of what will be taking place letter in the film (foreshadow). Finally, the beginning of a film should engage the audience whilst introducing the main characters and their personalities. According to Thomas Sutcliffe, “films need to seduce their audience into a long term commitment whilst there are many types of seduction; the temptation to go for instant arousal is almost irresistible. however according to Jean Jacques Beineix instant arousal can have major risks and these are that often the film is left with nowhere to go and the rest of the film does not live up to the expectations making it unsuccessful. " A good beginning must make the audience feel that it doesn’t know nearly enough yet, and at the same time make sure that it doesn’t know to little", This quote means that the audience should be left guessing what will come next and they should be left questioning the events and future events.

There are many different ways of opening a thriller. According the critic Stanley Kauffmann the classic opening is an establishing shot. This is often filmed as a long shot and at a low angle. These classic opening inform the audience of the where-abouts of the film and it provides them with vital information. These types of shots often start in an exterior setting with followed by an interior shot. The film seven does not follow this classic film opening however, it is very effective and this is for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is quick, fast paced which wakes the audience up, with each shot something is revealed to the audience, and so it foreshadows the events to come leaving the audience feeling tense and suspenseful. The film tunes the audience into the film and introduces the main character. Another type of film opening is something that is referred to as “a favourite trick of Film Noir" this is simply when the beginning of the film starts at the ending meaning the rest to the film is a flashback or recollection.

There are many different ways to open a film and although the plot of the film is majorly important, what makes a film opening effective is the use of the camera, the Mis en scene ,the soundtrack and the lighting. E.g. in the film ' The Shinning’ the camera moves with the car and it shows that the car is travelling a far distance into an area where perhaps it should not be.The camera pans the car at an angle that shows it is like a preditor hunting the car from far away. Additionally the soundtrack evokes negative feelings of tension and suspense leaving the audience wanting more.

Next lesson we are goin to be watching be watching the opening of thrillers from previous students and looking at their choice of location, camerawork, editing, lighting, and their use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound.

Corinne

Initial research

The brief

For my media coursework, I have been briefed to film and edit in a group the opening titles of a thriller film in which demonstrates a range of media filming techniques and displays a range of thriller conventions.
In lesson, the first thing that we started to do was to identify what exactly a thriller was and what the different genres of thrillers that existed. I learnt that thrillers are known to promote, suspense anticipation, heightened expectation, anxiety, uncertainty, intense excitement and tension. Thrillers films display similar characteristics and they follow similar conventions. The principal character is usually unaware or unknowing to the dangerous or potentially deadly situation that they may face which makes us as an audience feel tense and on edge by dramatic irony. The plots of thrillers typically involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the menace is sometimes abstract or shadowy. The tension often reaches its climax when the main character(s) is placed in a challenging/difficult situation/mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission. Thrillers are often are fast paced, they include frequent action, resourceful heroes and they include villains. Devices such as suspense, cliffhangers are used to create suspenseful and tense atmospheres and this effectively keeps the audience glued to the screen.


I did some secondary research and used the internet to find out what were the kinds of character types that thrillers often include and below I have made a list of some of these characters

Convicts
Criminals
Stalkers
Assassins
down-on-their-luck losers
innocent victims which are often on the run or in hiding
prison inmates
menaced women
characters with dark pasts
psychotic individuals
terrorists
cops and escaped cons
Fugitives
private eye drifters
duplicitous
individuals/ people involved in twisted relationships
world-weary men and women
psycho-fiends

Popular themes terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder and these are often set in every day location and they seem realistic and possible unlike the horror genre that includes magical and horrific c creations that cannot formally exist. They also typically involve sudden plot twists and lots of red herrings, for example, keeping people unsure about what is going to happen, they are usually set in erotic settings.

The plots of thrillers can vary widely depending on the genre of thriller. Within the thriller genre alone, there are many sub-genres (often these genres interlink) and these genres include;

Action thrillers- which often features a race against the clock, violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. Examples of action thrillers include James Bond films and ‘The Transporter’

Conspiracy thrillers - In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. Examples include The Chancellor Manuscript and Three Days of the Condor’ and ‘JFK’.

Crime thrillers - often the focus is on the criminal(s) rather than a police officer. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, and shootouts. Some examples include the films ‘Seven’, ‘The Godfather’, ‘Inside Man’, and ‘The Asphalt Jungle’.

 Disaster thrillers - In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster e.g. floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc. Examples include ‘Stormy Weather’ and the film’ Earthquake’.

 Drama thrillers - In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. They are usually slow paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include ‘The Interpreter’ and ‘The Prestige’.

 Erotic thrillers - In which it consists of erotica and thriller. The genre includes such films as ‘Basic Instinct’, ‘Fatal Attraction’ and 'In the Cut’

 Horror thrillers - In which conflict between the main characters are mental, emotional, and physical. There is a main element of fear throughout the story the main character(s) are often up against a superior force and they eventually become the victims themselves and directly feel the fear that comes by attracting the monster's attention. Recent examples of this include the ‘Saw series’ of films and ‘28 Days Later’, ‘The Silence of the Lambs’.

 Legal thrillers - In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but also their lives. E.g. ‘The Innocent Man’
Medical thrillers - the hero/heroine are doctors or medical personnel’s working to solve an expanding medical problem. Films such as’ Awake’, and ‘the hot zone’ are examples of medical thrillers.

 Political thrillers - In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. Examples include ‘Seven Days in May’ ,‘The Day of the Jackal’ ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ and the film ‘ Agency’

 Psychological thrillers - In which (the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The audience are often left confused and unaware and they are often forced to examine the motivations and back stories of the characters to figure out the plot. examples include ‘Suspicion’, ‘Shadow of a Doubt’, and ‘Strangers on a Train’ and ‘The Sixth Sense’

 Spy thrillers- In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or terrorists. Examples include ‘The Bourne Identity’ and ‘24’

 Supernatural thrillers - In which the conflict is between main characters, usually one of which has supernatural powers. This type of thriller combines tension of the regular thriller with such basic horror ingredients such as ghosts, demons and psychic phenomenon. Supernatural thrillers are also are very good at sustaining a mood of menace and unpredictability/ often in these films you will find the protagonists either battling a paranormal force or trapped in a situation seemingly influenced or controlled by something beyond explanation and beyond reality. Examples include the films ‘Carrie’, ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Torchwood’.

Techno-thrillers - A work that usually focuses upon military action, in which technology is described in detail and made essential to the viewer's understanding of the plot. An example of a techno- thriller is the film ‘The Hunt for Red October’.