sounds that we used

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx-wNfcN3t4
John Murphy The Church

we used this track because it works well in a thriller as a suspense builder so therefore we decided that it was a suitable track to have.

Costume influences

Props that we used

 

 

Lighting and sounds

The location we have chosen to film our thriller already has a very good natural light therefore no additional lighting is neccesary. The lighting will be dark but not so dark that the camera won't be able to focus on the fine details. This style of lighting will help to conceal the face of the villain and will help to add to the mystery and tension of the thriller opening. We need to make sure that the victim is shown in a little more light than the villain because this will help to show vulnerability which is often present in thriller films.

The only sounds that we will want to keep from the actual filming (diagetic sound) will be the sound of the gun being loaded and possible the sound of footsteps, especially where the footsteps will be crunching on broken glass. We will therefore be adding non-diagetic sounds when editting the film opening. We will want to add a heatbeat sound throughout the opening as well as a music based soundtrack. These will have good effect and will help to add to the tension and build up of the film therefore increasing the climax.

Final Idea

The idea that we have decided to take forward is the idea of the gangster based thriller. We have developed this idea into a flashback based opening where we will see the victim walking and stumbling across a river. As this happens the victim will be getting flashbacks of what has happened to him in the past. This will be filmed under an old bridge with graffiti and broken glass. Here there will be shots of the victim getting interrogated and props such as rope, a chair and a gun will be used here. The bridge will provide a good lighting as well as the light will be natural but still reasonably dark and gloomy. As the scene continues the flash backs will continue until the victim reaches the river where he will bend down and wash his face off. He will then stand up and turn around to face the camera where there will be a close up of his face and the shot will freeze and turn black and white to add effect.

This opening should be an effective thriller opening as it will start to ask the audience questions such as who are these people and what has this victim done to the villain to make him treat him like this? The surprised expression on the victims face as he turns around to face the camera at the end will also help to build up the tension as the audience will be wondering what he has seen - is the interrogator back even though a few seconds earlier he is presumed dead? This is what helps to build up the tension and suspense as they will not know and there will be no clues without watching past the opening.

 

Results of audience research-Questionairre

1. What is your Gender?

• Male - 15
• Female - 14

2. How old are you?

• 0-14 - 1
• 15-29 - 24
• 30-44 - 2
• 45-59 - 2
• 60-74 - 0
• 75-89 - 0
• 90-104 - 0
• 105+ - 0

3. Do you enjoy thriller movies?

• Yes - 25
• No - 4

4. Which of these is your preferred movie genre?

• Thriller - 9
• Horror - 4
• Action - 7
• Adventure - 4
• Romantic - 3
• Comedy - 8
• Other - 1

5. What is you preffered music type?

• Rock - 4
• Pop - 12
• Indie - 7
• R&B - 5
• Hip-Hop - 1
• Jazz - 0
• Metal - 0
• Techno - 2
• Other - 2

6. How often do you watch movies?

• 1-3 times a week - 16
• 4-6 times a week - 11
• 6+ times a week - 2

7. What is your favourite film sub-genre out of the following?

• Action-Thriller - 14
• Crime-Thriller - 8
• Psychological-Thriller - 5
• Religious-Thriller - 1
• Gangster-Thriller - 4
• Sci-fi-Thriller - 1

8. What is your favourite thriller film and why?

• Black Swan because there is a lot of tension build up
• Unknown because it has a good plot
• Orphan because the ending is so unexpected
• Die Hard because of all the suspense
• The Departed because the acting is amazing and the narrative is gripping
• Gangster Squad because it has action and builds up the story well
• Django: Unchained
• Shutter Island because it builds the tension well
• Shutter Island because it has a lot of suspense
• Shutter Island because of the psychological theme
• No Country For Old Men because of the interesting storyline
• No Country For Old Men
• No Country For Old Men
• Lawless
• Taken
• Leon: The Proffesional
• Bourne Identity
• Dejavu

9. Do you think romance is suitable in a thriller?

• Yes - 13
• No - 16

10. What is it that you think is essential to get right to make a good thriller?

• Soundtrack
• Setting
• Good actors
• A good atmosphere
• Order of events
• Editing
• Characters
• Storyline
• Good locations
• Good props
• A creepy atmosphere
• A good plot
• Twists
• Weather
• Explosions
• Mystery
• Intensity
• Suspense
• Music
• Lighting

Filming day timings

9am

Meet with Ryan and Tom at the bus station with all props and camera equipment.

9:30am

Assess filming locations to make sure that everything is ready for filming and the locations are suitable.

10am

Commence filming the first shots at the first location making sure that we take at least 2 or 3 takes of each shots so that we are very unrestricted when editing.

12:30pm

Stop for lunch.

1pm

Move to second filming location and take several takes of each shot to be sure that we have some good shots.

3pm

Pack all equipment away making sure that we do not damage anything or leave anything behind.

Storyboard

 

Location Justification

These toilets were where we were going to film our media piece however we did not realise that these would be closed. Leading to us having to move locations, which was not really what we want as we had planned for that area. However we had to change no matter what but what we did find with our back up location it almost worked better than our original idea. As we felt that it built tension so much better, as it gave us that thriller mysterious location feel.

The images above is where we will film the second part of our movie this is where you will see one of the characters bound to a chair and getting beaten up.

This image above is where we had to move for filming as our first area was closed however it was still gave a good effect and we believe it could be better than our first idea

Influential Trailers

the movie Gangster Squad was an influential movie when deciding what we would base our thriller trailer on as it is a gangster thriller and as well as that it is a good example of how to build suspense in certain parts of the film. as it is set in the late 1940's we used the costumes that they would have in out thriller.

 

The movie Rock'n'rolla was an influential movie when deciding what we would base our thriller on as it is a gangster film and the same as Gangster Squad it knows how to build suspense in certain scenes in the movie. it is a current day gangster film set in 2007 and has good examples of how to incorporate the violence from a gangster film into a movie. 

Words relating to Thriller genre

How audience research will affect our production

 

Audience research will have an influence in our final production of a trailer for a thriller film as ultimately the audience are the main people that would need to be pleased by the trailer and find it intriguing making them want to watch it and find out what happens.

A way that we have decided to collect data so that we can see what it is that the audience would like to see in a Thriller we have constructed a questionnaire. Questionnaires are very useful when it comes to collecting data that you need on specific questions. Each of the people in our group was given 10 questionnaire’s each which came to a total of 30, which would be good enough for us to collect the results and analyse them.

Specific areas that may be affected in our final production by the results of are questionnaire are elements such as the genre of it, the soundtrack, the storyline etc. it is important to use the results of an audience questionnaire as if an audience questionnaire was to say that 80% of the people that answered the questionnaire did not enjoy a certain sub-genre such as a psychological thriller then it would be wise not to make a psychological thriller.

Preliminary Evaluation

I believe that in this shot from our preliminary investigation we managed to fit in the main titles well as they flowed easily into the plot. Making these titles helped me learn how to use a Mac and enhance my editing skills which will be essential to do for our upcoming task. As well as that I think that we used the correct transitions from the titles to the main story, which were just straight cuts.

 

This is the first shot from our prelim, not including the opening titles and it is linked in between the opening titles. This shot is a close up of Vince’s legs walking down the corridor and starts off the non-diegetic music over the top.

In the second shot not including the opening titles from out prelim we managed to frame it well so the audience can see what is needed to be seen. This shot is a long shot of Vince opening a set of doors and walking down the corridor. The way that Vince walked down the corridor was linked to the non-diegetic music over the top which was up-beat and more on the less serious side.

In this shot, the third shot, we added an affect so that it looks like Vince is being watched by a camera. This shot is a mid shot as it shows Vince from the knees up, but doesn’t show his whole body. The non-diegetic music over the top fits the way that Vince is walking as it turns the tone serious, and is exacerbated by the way he walks and the seriousness on his face.

This shot is a close up of Vince’s face from the other side of the door which is effective because it captures the seriousness of his face and as well as that the seriousness of the moment.

This is an effective shot that follows the close up of Vince’s face, and shows the action that he is making with his hand. It flows very well into the scene which I believe is due to a well done shot list and also making sure that all the shots flow into each other.

 

This still from our prelim shows Vince’s hand opening the door from the outside of the door and slightly opens it. It is a close up and flows well from the previous scene as you see Vince going to grab for the handle.

This is a still from after Vince has opened the door and sat down. It is a long shot that shows both Vince (right) and I (left). This is a good shot to use because there is an element of tension and mystery as you still do not know who the character is on the left.

This shot is a mid shot of Vince as it is from the waist upwards. It is a good shot as his facial expression suits the seriousness of the moment and also with the non-diegetic music.

 

 

In this shot you finally see who the mysterious character was. It is an over the shoulder mid shot of myself as it is from the waist upwards and as well as that it fits in very well with the scene and flows nicely.

This shot is another over the shoulder mid shot but this time it shows Vince talking. This shot flows well with the previous shot and makes the scene easy to understand for the audience.

This shot is a close up of my face which is good as it shows the expression on my face and builds up the tension along with the non-diegetic music. It flows well as it changed to black and white by fading to white at the end of the previous scene and then showing the black and white effect.

 

 

This shot is also a close up but of Ryan’s face and is effective because it shows the expression on his face and adds to the tension of the moment and suits the non-diegetic music also playing.

In this final shot it is a mid shot of myself as it is from the waist upwards and its transition between the previous shot was smooth and fitted well and therefore it is effective.

I believe that for the end credits in our preliminary investigation video we used the titles effectively and as well as that the way in which we included are names and candidate numbers was effective and worked well.

 

 

Main strengths:

·         Transition between shots

·         Flows easily which makes it easy to understand

·         Good range of shots

·         Suitable non-diegetic music

 

Possible Improvements:

·         Could improve plot to add more tension

·         Could improve lighting to enhance certain shots

 

What I learnt:

·         Learnt to improve my editing skills

·         Learnt how to make shots flow easily

·         Learnt how some specific shots can affect certain moods such as tension etc.

Conventions for opening of a thriller

The most important things in a thriller opening are:
Titles
Storyline
Camera angles and shots
Music

I have identified these four factors and this is why.
Each factor is very important and film openings such as Seven, mimic all feature all of these factors which makes them so special.

Titles
I think that the titles of a film are always important and it must take a lot of time and effort to product a great title sequence. The film Seven is an excellent example of great titles, the reason why it is excellent is because they make the audience want to see something new and they want to see more than just a name.

Storyline
The story in the thriller opening is one of the most important parts of a thriller and it usually grabs majority the attention. It is important that the director meets the needs of the audience which are Excitement, suspense and action. At the same time the director should not reveal too much and they must make sure that the audience is urging for more after the opening scene.

Camera angles and shots
Camera angles and shots are very important good use of camera shots always has its impact on a film. It is important to use a range of shots such as close up, mid-shot, long-shot, over the shoulder shot etc.

Music
Music is very important and good thriller music can have just as much effect as the story. The music must be appealing and tense. It must build up a tense feeling amongst the audience.

Summer Assignment: The Grey

The movie that I will be analyzing is a thriller movie called the grey. Over the summer I watched this movie and looked out for any typical conventions that showed that this was a thriller movie.

 
The basic story line of the movie is that a plane that is travelling over Alaska plummets towards the ground from 40,000 feet and kills some of the passengers on-board. However a small amount of passengers survive the crash. The men that survived, who are led by the actor Liam Neeson who portrays the character by the name of Ottway, must endure the ferocity of the harsh conditions they have landed in, also accounting the fact they have minimal amounts of food and drink, they have a bigger problem. They are followed by a pack of wolves that stalk them amidst the mercilessly cold weather. They must find a way to stay alive until they are found, if they are found.

This is an image from within the movie which shows the character holding a knife in his hand, which could be a convention of a thriller movie. As well as that there is a seriousness on his face that could suggest he is about to fight something, that something being a wolf. This shot is a mid shot as it shows him from just below the waist upwards.

In this scene the group of survivors are gathered round a fire and are confronted by the leader of the pack of wolves they are being stalked by. This is a long shot as it shows the whole group of the survivors and also the wolf. This is framed well because the group and the wolf fit well in the image and it makes the scene tense by giving a sense of how close the wolf is.

This is an image from the beginning of the film, on the first night of which their plane crashed. It shows the character being attacked by a wolf and fighting back, this is a thriller convention because it shows the elements of a fight scene. As well as that this is a mid shot as it shows the character from just above the waist to the top of his head. The framing is good because it has fit all of the action very tightly in the image and this could make the scene tense.

This image is from the end scene in which the character stumbles into the very wolf den which he was trying to get away from. This low angle over the shoulder shot which is looking up to the leader of the wolves makes it seem as if the wolf is in a higher position than the character, and that the wolf has higher ground and the advantage. The tension created by this shot is a convention of a thriller film.

Questionaire

Thriller Opening Ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preliminary Shot List

Scene #	Shot	Location	Shot Description	Framing	Action	Dialogue	Actors	Props	Notes
#1	A	F block tunnel	Long shot, straight on of Vince coming through fire doors with Ryan behind him	Vince in middle of shot showing both doors	Vince walking through doors	None	Vince, Ryan	None
#1	B	F block tunnel	Looking up at him from behind, low angle shot	Vince taking up about 1/3 of the shot	Vince walking down corridor	None	Vince	None
#1	C	F block tunnel	Mid-shot of Vince from right side at body level	Body and upwards, missing out legs	Vince walking down corridor	None	Vince	None
#1	D	F block tunnel	Security camera view from top corner of corridor	Showing whole section of corridor	Vince walking down corridor	None	Vince, Ryan	None
#1	E	F block tunnel	Long shot down corridor of Vince approaching C112 door	Whole of C block upper corridor show C110 and toilet doors	Vince walking down corridor	None	Vince	None
#1	F	F block tunnel	Close up of Vince grabbing the door handle	Door handle and hand taking up 90% of the shot space	Vince opening door of C112	None	Vince	None
#1	G	C112	Close up of other side of the door handle being pushed down	Full shot of the door handle, no background	Vince opening door of C112	None		None
#1	H	C112	Close up of walking legs	Legs, mainly lower taking up most of shot, background of floor	Vince walking through C112 to seat	None	Vince	None
#1	I	C112	High angle shot looking down upon scene	Showing whole room, including door	Vince walking through C112 to seat	None	Vince, Callum	None
#1	J	C112	Low angle shot of Vince sitting down	Chair taking up majority of shot and just lower body and legs of Vince	Vince beginning to sit down on seat	None	Vince	None
#1	K	C112	Over the shoulder shot to see Vince’s expression	1/3 of Cullum’s head and the rest of Vince	Vince looking surprised	You come to me on the day of your daughter’s wedding	Vince, Callum	None
#1	L	C112	Over the shoulder shot of Vince	1/3 of Vince’s head and the rest of Callum	Seeing Callum talking to Vince	Asking for help	Vince, Callum	None
#1	M	C112	Over the shoulder shot to see Vince speaking	1/3 of Cullum’s head and the rest of Vince	Vince speaking to Callum	Meet my little friend	Vince, Callum	None
#1	N	C112	Mid shot of door flying open, not being able to see character	Door in middle of frame, showing door frame and walls	Door opening	None		None
#1	O	C112	Close ups and extreme close ups of expressions of all characters faces	Full shots of faces and no background or any other objects	Showing surprised expressions on character’s faces	None	Vince, Callum, Ryan	Gun
#1	P	C112	Mid shot of whole scene seeing shooting panning right	Scene taking up approx. 1/3 of shot with surroundings taking the rest	Callum walking away unharmed	None	Vince, Callum, Ryan	Gun
#1	Q	C112 moving to F block tunnel	Side shot of victim on floor, moving backwards and zooming out	Victim originally taking up 1/3 of shot but being reduced further as shot zooms out	Victims laying on floor	None	Vince, Callum, Ryan	None