When deciding who my target audience would be, I thought it would be best and more efficient if I knew my target audience well, that way I know what they like and dislike in a thriller. This is why I have chosen to target the teenage/ young adult age range, so that's 15 to 20 year olds. My questionnaire I feel asks the necessary questions in order to get the relevant feedback to help me with meeting the target audience’s needs. I gave 15 people all aged between 15 and 20 for them to fill out, this is the response I got.

Question one.

What gender do you feel the protagonist should be played by?

 A male          B) A female

The response I got from this question was that 12 out of 15 people thought that a male would be best suited for the role as protagonist. But, the three people that said they would prefer a woman to play the part of the protagonist all said that they would like to see more movies that break the common conventions of a thriller. The common conventions being that the protagonist is played by a male. After receiving this information I decided to cast the role as the protagonist to a male actor. I chose it to be played by a male because I felt that the storyline of my thriller would seem more realistic to an audience if it was played by a male.

Question two.

To create a tense atmosphere, is fast or slow paced music more effective?

A) Slow paced          B) Fast paced          C) A mixture of both

I asked this question because I feel that music plays a big part in the opening to a thriller and I wanted to know from my target audience what they felt the tempo should be to create tension. The response that I got was that two people felt that slow paced music built tension; eight felt that it was faced paced music and five people said that it was a mixture between the two. I was surprised at this result because I felt that there would be a lot more people picking a mixture of both instead of it nearly being equal with fasted paced music.

Question three.

What do you feel makes a thriller opening in effective and why?

I asked this question because as well as wanting to know what works, I need to know what doesn't in order for me to get the best quality opening possible and not something that my target audience feels doesn't work well in thriller openings. One of the most interesting responses that I got was that the person felt that they want to see something new, not just the common use of murder and manipulation. This is something I will definitely take on board and think about when thinking about ideas for my thriller opening.

Question four.

What would be an effective location for a thriller and why?

I asked this as an open question because I wanted to know why certain locations are more effective than others, for example a city or an abandoned warehouse. The most interesting response I got was that  more than half put down that they preferred a thriller to be set in an isolated area or building. Because of this response I have decided to film my thriller in a church.

Question five.

Through what type of media do you usually hear about upcoming films?

      A)     TV          B)  Newspapers          C) The internet          D) Social media

I asked this question because I wanted to know the most effective way of advertising my film to the public. From the response that I got, I intend to release the advert for the thriller on social media and adverts on TV.

Question six.

What are some of the key parts of any film that grab your attention and increase your interest in the film?

The responses that I got from this question were that the audience feel that an emotional connection with the protagonist is needed. They also felt that a weapon of some sort should be included in the thriller, for example a knife or gun. Because of this response, I will include a weapon of some sort in my thriller to increase the protagonist’s venerability and therefore making the audience having an emotional connection with him or her.   

Question seven.

Do you feel that it is better or worse to reveal the identity of a killer in the first scene of a thriller?

A) Yes          B) No

I asked this question because I was thinking about having a killer in my thriller to fit the common conventions. I felt that the killer’s identity shouldn't be revealed until that end in order to create tension for as long as possible. I was surprised at the response because I felt that the majority of people asked would say, no, they didn't want the identity of the killer to be revealed. But in this case the feedback said that seven people said that the killer’s identity should be revealed and eight said that it shouldn't.

Where I Intend to Shoot

This is the main entrance door to the church; I am considering having one of my actors walking through it and into the main area of the church.  

  

When trying to think of an idea that I could use as my thriller opening. I found that watching others that I liked or have heard were good helped me a lot. My main influence I feel came from the film Batman Begins. I liked how this film made the audience feel sorry for Batman and how they had an emotional connection with him. To begin with I felt that the city scape would be the ideal location for my thriller to be set. This is because I feel that although the city is full of people, there is an unknown about different places in the city which is what I wanted to put forward in my thriller opening.

I also got influence from the film Sin City. I liked the opening to this thriller because the audience didn't know that the male in the black suit would kill the female, it was a total surprise to me and unexpected which is an emotion that I hope to portray when creating my thriller opening. I also liked how creative the titles were, this is something I really want to include in my opening because I would like my opening to be unique.

Clothing and props

When watching both of these films I noticed that the protagonist would be dressed in dark clothing either smart or casual and the antagonist would wear innocent clothing, white or flowered pattered clothing. Because of this, I feel that the characters in my thriller opening should be dressed in clothing that fit in with the common conventions.  I also noticed the little things that a character would wear to make him or her seem more realistic. For example a ring or a police badge. Because of this I would like to include items like a watch or a necklace in my thriller opening.

Lighting

I am now filming in a church because the security at Peterborough car park say that I am not allowed to film there due to health and safety reasons. This has worked better in my favor because although the city scape would be effective, I would have to film outside and the lighting wouldn't be great outside. The lighting in the church is quite good so the camera would be of better quality than outside. Some of my filming will still be outside though and at night. This is where I will have to pick a suitable location for this scene to take place because it will need to be well lit and clear to the audience what is happening. There will also be issues because one of the characters will be stabbed outside in one of the scenes. This means that because I can’t have a knife or look like I am stabbing someone who is on the floor, I will have to pick another location to film this part of the scene. The place I have chosen in my garage. I have chosen this location because the floor is the same colour and material of the pavement of the street. Because the street is dark, I will have just enough lighting to show clearly that the female (Charley Evans) is being stabbed and not so much that the audience feel that there is a change in location.

Feed Back From My Pitch

This feedback was from the pitch that I had done with my previous group mate Emma. We are now working on our own, which means that I came up with a new idea and therefore presented this new idea with a new pitch.

Quality of PowerPoint / use of ICT:

-          Plenty of visuals

-          Original PowerPoint Lost, last minute edit.

Quality of presentation:

-          Under rehearsed

-          Not very well explained, one idea at a time.

Quality of ideas:

-          City – London – gang culture – not clear.

-          Church – religious thriller- more possibilities.

Use of thriller conventions:

-          In costume – setting

-          Subgenre conventions?

-          Some references to other thrillers

Issues ? 

                                   

-          Travelling around London – expensive and time consuming

-          20 people? Watch the wicker man

Film Noir Mood Board

Shadows 

Dark rooms 

Cigarette's

Sharp angles

Harsh lighting

Private detectives

Back lighting  

Deep focus

  Dutch angle 

Expressionism

Female fatale 

Story board

The story board starts with box number one (top left) and then proceeds to move to the right three boxes and back down to the furthest box left on the row below.

Box One: Box number one shows a pan shot / extreme long shot of the city scape. When out filming I intend to shoot more of these types and I will then select the best ones to put in my thriller opening. 

Box Two: This box is the same shot type as box one, an extreme long shot, but this time the protagonist will be in shot looking out over the city scape. I will also take this shot multiple times to ensure that I get the best result.

Box Three: This shot will show the back of the protagonists head. The focus point will be on his hair and then the focus will switch and show the city scape in more depth. 

Box Four: Box four is a close up of the protagonists hands. This, like box four will also be in focus on the hands but this time will not switch focus to the city scape.

Box Five: This box is showing the flashback that the protagonist is having. It will show him and his wife walking down a dark alley way. 

Box Six: is showing an extreme close up of the protaganists eyes. This shot continues for the next three boxes but is separated by mid shot / close up of the wife (charley) being stabbed. 

The rest of the boxes revert back to the present and are showing the protaganist (Fabian) standing on top of a building and remembering the past. He will then say something along the line of "I will avenge her" and then walk of into the distance. 

 

pitch

Due to an unforeseen occurrence, I am now working on my own. I have enlisted the help of two of my Friends, Charley Evans and Fabian Gray who will both be acting in the opening, along with me. My new idea is very similar to one of my first but this time taking influence from Batman Begins and Sin City rather than No County for Old Men and TOBBOY.

Analysis of ‘Psycho’ shower scene exploring how film techniques are used to create effects.

There are a variety of shots used in this scene, but mainly tracking shots and close ups which, together with the use of sharp loud sounds and blurred images of an unfamiliar face, create a feeling of the unknown for the audience. Mise-en-scene is also used in this scene. It helps to make the audience, a key part in any movie, to feel that where the action is taking place is real. A good example of this would be that there is no light on the killers face, indicating to the audience that she is evil and also creating tension because the killer could be anyone.

The editing in this scene is also important; most of the editing is a tracking shot which shows the audience where the actor is in part of a room. Fast passed editing is also used in this scene; a good example of this would be when the woman taking the shower is being stabbed to death. The fast passed editing really helps to create tension and also give the audience a good idea of whereabouts the ‘Psycho’ is in relation to the woman being stabbed. Sound is a big part of this scene, whether it be when she is being stabbed or before, when the tension is building.  Before she is stabbed, the most dominant sound is the shower but in this case the shower sounds like wind in a storm. This is then linked in with when she is being stabbed because there are cutaways of storm clouds and rain, this is called pathetic fallacy.

One shot where all of the key elements are used is where the camera is in 3^rd person, Marion, the woman in the shower, is to the left and the killer is in the background but blurred by the slightly opaque shower curtain. Only being able to slightly see the killer gives the audience feeling of uncertainty and increases the tension. There is also a use of non-diegetic sound in this shot, added to make the falling water of the shower sound like a storm which connotes that bad things are yet to come. Because Marion is naked, it adds to her helplessness against the killer and also makes the audience want to scream out and tell her that there is someone else in the room which increases the tension and uncertainty of what is about to happen.

One other important shot in this scene is where the camera is showing an extreme close up on the victim’s eye. It might not seem important but along with the spiralling motion of the zooming out camera and the graphic match of the eye fading into the plug hole this shot gives the audience the idea that Marion is now dead because of her dilated eyes. The graphic match could also resemble that her life is just going down the drain along with her blood. All the way through this shot the editing slow which is a contrast from the once fast editing of when she is being stabbed, this also connotes that her life is over because the fight is over. Alongside this slow editing is the sound of a storm in the background, the storm that was once, like the editing, loud and violent has now become quite and tame, therefore connoting the end of her life.

Thriller films usually use suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. This gives the viewer a high level of anticipation and uncertainty.  Camera movement Tracking and Pan shots is what’s commonly used in the beginning of thriller films, particularly a certain group of people who we should be interested in as the audience. There is also usually non diegetic sound playing in the background which adds to the tension and also could create a sound bridge when jumping from one scene to the other.

During a thriller film the protagonist faces death, his and/or her or somebody else's for example in ‘Skyfall’ James Bond is faced with death when he is shot during a fight on top of a train. Another common convention is that the force of the antagonistic must initially be cleverer or stronger than the protagonist therefore building suspense and uncertainty about whether or not the protagonist will succeed in the end.

Mise en scene is a French phrase meaning the arrangement of scenery and properties to represent the place where a play or movie is enacted. A good example of this would be in ‘Sky fall’ in the intro scene where Bond is chasing the men who stole a hard drive from the laptop Bond was looking for. In this scene they are driving through an Arabic market. The Arabic market is made more realistic by the use of well-placed extras, food on stalls and old buildings. All of these add to the realism being created along with the police and crashes.

The Editing for Thrillers conventionally use a lot of jump cuts. This is used a lot because the film is very fast moving so there are multiple things all happening at once. The jump cuts allow the audience to see all the different events that are happening and let them make assumptions as to what is going to happen next with the events and the characters. The cutting rate always seems to speed up as a climax in the story is reached and then slows down towards the end or when the story becomes more settled.

In Thrillers they typically use a lot of non-diegetic sound which helps create a certain atmosphere. For example in Sky Fall when Bond is chasing the villain non-diegetic is added to convince the audience that Bond is in Arabia and not on a film set.

Thriller conventions         Notes:

 

Camera work

Typical shots     

Mid shots - reactions   emotions

Close ups - involvement, concealment, claustrophobic

 

Compositions 

Exclusion of objects to create tension

Camera movement and angles - low and high angle shots, power, authority, empathy and 1^st person.

 

Editing

Typical transitions    dissolves, link events     fades to black or white to show flash backs  

Quick cuts create tension.

 

How editing is used to show structure and narrative:

Use of flash backs and duel narrative.

Non chronological builds tension.

 

Thriller convention, people’s roles in the making of the movie

I dent, lion roaring, the film company.

Introduce key characters and tension should build and create an atmosphere.

A snippet of the plot

 
Create an unsettling feeling

 

Sound

Non diegetic sound is used to create tension and atmosphere.   

Music, radio, not often complete songs, ambient style.

Better to avoid dialogue so use a voice over.

 

Mise en scene.

Props hint the plot, knives and guns connote danger.

Setting, realism often isolated places

Male is usually in charge and the killer is usually male.

Woman are usually distressed and need saving from the male.

Lighting, use of light and dark builds atmosphere, either really dark or really bright lights.

 

Typical storyline.

Ideas about revenge, justice and crime, (start with a criminal act and the film will be about figuring it out.

Flash back or flash forward.

Things don’t follow in a logical sequence, connotes something disturbing.

 

Sub genres.

Techno , crime, super natural, film noir, psychological, medical, religious, action, spy, mystery, political, Si-fi, disaster, romance, eco.

 

Evaluation of Prelim.

The preliminary task was to film and edit the sequence to show a person or two people entering a room and speaking to someone else. The sequence should not break the 180 rule and should also include match on action, varied amount of shot types, reverse shot and continuity.

The camera work in this video I feel is very effective in portraying the paths of two people and showing how they eventually meet. A good example of this would be when the camera is facing the lift the male character, Andy, who is dressed in a shirt and tie proceeds to walk through the doors of the lift. It then cuts to a CCTV video in the lift and shows him walking in and moving his arm to press the button to go up and meet the woman character, Charley. During this scene I feel that I have demonstrated the use of continuity because the audience can easily tell that Andy has just walked in to the lift. Because Andy is also in the same clothing and it also tells the audience that he has just walked into the lift. When I create my thriller intro I will make sure that the clothing of my characters is the same therefore not confusing the audience.

Throughout this sequence I also feel that the camera was quite steady, but at times the characters sometimes walk out of shot or the camera in quite jolty which means when I create my thriller into I will focus more on the steadiness of the camera and also make sure that if my intro does contain characters, they don’t walk out from the view of the audience. On the whole the camera was steady and some of the pan shots were effective when Charley was walking up the stairs because they were smooth which is something I would like to use in my thriller opening therefore I will need to practice using the camera and tripod.

The editing in this sequence is overall smooth and the cut shots from Charley walking up the stairs and Andy in the lift are shown clearly because of the different locations and the speed of the editing. Although most of the editing was good overall I feel that some could have been better, for example the hand over and conversation between Andy and Charley. The conversation between both of them worked will in a sense of shot reverse shot because of the use of over the shoulder shots, which means the audience, could see both characters talking to each other. But on the other hand as the conversation began the camera was quite shaky. This is because we had to use a piece of film that we decided was too shaky but we didn't have time to go out and film again. This has helped me come to the conclusion that when filming my thriller opening I will have to take time and set up the shot properly and not rush into it, therefore getting a better quality piece of film.

After editing the film and watching the finished product over, one of the group members pointed out that we had broken the 180 rule when they were having a conversation. After looking closely at the conversation sequence we came to a conclusion that we had broken the 180 rule but had no time to change it because it was already loaded on to a disk. This has given me the opportunity to think about my thriller opening and how I can plan to make sure that the 180 rule is not broken. I will make sure it is not broken by drawing where the camera is and the layout of my shot before filming and mark out where the camera cannot cross.

When editing the lift scene we felt the CCTV would look and feel a lot more realistic if it was in black and white and has the date and time of the bottom on the screen as all CCTV has. So we used some of the effects on IMovie to re-create the CCTV view. This worked well because of the realistic appearance and also taught me that I could use something like this is my thriller opening.  At the end of our prelim we decided as a group to have a fade away shot to the end credits. This was a good idea because we didn't have much time to think of anything better but when I create my thriller opening I will try to think of a more creative way to show who was involved and what they did.

Because if the day that my group shot the prelim and the amount of windows there were where we were filming, it meant that the lighting was good and the audience could see what was happening and what was in the frame. This is something I will take into grave consideration because if the lighting isn't right for my thriller opening, it could drastically reduce the amount of tension produced by other elements that are included in the opening, e.g. costume and sound track.

When filming my prelim I learnt that the camera is key. This means that I have to take everything into consideration when creating my thriller opening, things like framing and composition I will think about very carefully before shooting. I have also learnt to take a couple of shots of the same scene because although when watched back straight away the audio and steadiness of the camera may seem fine, often when you start to edit on IMovie things become difficult. This is why I will think carefully about what is going on in and around the shot when filming my thriller opening.  

I would like to improve on my editing skills on IMovie because this is one of the most important parts when trying to create a video. But I feel becoming better on IMovie becomes easier with practice and reading the manual that is online. I would also like to improve on my variety of shot types, meaning that I would like to think of more creative ways of showing different parts of my thriller opening. for example, I could use an extreme close up to show a characters reactions to a situation instead of an over the shoulder shot.