screen grabs for evaluation

Final Thriller Opening

Feedback

We presented our rough cut of our thriller and collected feedback from out peers.

Q: Is the opening meant to be set in America?
Yes, we wanted to use a stereotypical detective.

Q: Will you include music and if so, where?
We will include music up until the dialogue starts but we will bring it back when the title is displayed.

Q: What will the style to the music be?
We originally wanted the music to sound like the exorcists theme but it has turned to sound different. The music now sounds calm at the start but it begins to get more intense when the killing scene begins.

Q: Where will the credits be and what will they look like?
We have almost finished creating the title which will be at the end of the clip, we have followed the idea of having it look like charmed style of titles and we hope to have the same style for the names that will appear. we will have the credits for the actors throughout the clip, appearing subtly.

Q: How did the victim die and how many victims were there?
there was only one victim and one death, we hope to make it clearer with video effects.

Q: How will we separate the different scenes in time?
we have made a flashback effect for one of the flashes and we will also add a sound to go with it.

We agree with all the comments made and we know that a lot of work needs to be done. we're going to try our best to get the most out of our footage.

Rough cut

Still need to add music, more flashback transitions, darkening the scenes, titles and credits and neatening. Yes we know it's a joke..

Creating props

We used photoshop to create these fake newspapers to use in our thriller opening. The images were from the internet and photos from the set.





We will also be using the actual suicide note inside something like a sandwich bag to make it look like evidence and photos. here are some of the kind of images we might print.

Call sheet for planned filming - day 2

Our first filming session will be on: 26/2/10

Who is going to pick up and bring back the camera and tripod?
Harry will because he is going to be using the camera

Where are they going to film?
We will be filming in one of the rooms in the college.

Why have they chosen this location?
Because it is easily available and we only need a dark room to use. Most of us don't live locally so working outside the college would be hard to arrange.

How will we get to the location?
Because we will be filming in lesson times and in school this doesn't need arranging because we will be going into school how we normally would.

Is it a public location?
No, the school is only available to students.

Lighting: Are they filming during the day or night?
We will be filming in the day but hopefully we will be able to keep the room looking dark by closing the blinds.

Do they need to take lights with them?
We will try to find a lamp inside the classroom or school that we could use.

Actors: Who will we need to be there?
We will need Adam and Bronwen there to act. We will need Harry there to film. Dominic will help direct.

Which characters are they playing?
Adam will be playing the detective. Bronwen will be playing the detective's wife.

Will they need to learn a script in advance?
They will not need to learn their lines because the dialogue is very short so it will be improvised on the day but we will bring our storyboard so we follow it exactly.

Film crew: Who will do what on the day?
Harry will be filming.
Adam and Bronwen will be acting.
Dominic will help direct because she doesn't act in this scene.

Props: What do they need to take with them?
We will need to take: photos, reports, dressing gown and A lamp.

Who is in charge of getting particular props?
Brownwen will be bringing in a dressing gown.

What is their backup plan if the weather disrupts filming?
Weather won't be a problem because we will be filming inside and the windows won't be visible.

Which sections of the film are they going to capture in this filming slot?
we will be filming shots 1,2,3,6,9,10 and 11. The scenes we haven't filmed.

Which shots are you going to cover and what sound do you need to capture?
we will be filming shots 1,2,3,6,9,10 and 11. The scenes we haven't filmed. We will be capturing all the sound with the video that we record. We already have an idea for the music that will be playing over the video, we will create this when we begin editing.

Call sheet for planned filming - day 1

Our first filming session will be on: 23/2/10

Who is going to pick up and bring back the camera and tripod?
Harry will because he is going to be using the camera

Where are they going to film?
We will be filming in one of the rooms in the college.

Why have they chosen this location?
Because it is easily available and we only need a dark room to use. Most of us don't live locally so working outside the college would be hard to arrange.

How will we get to the location?
Because we will be filming in lesson times and in school this doesn't need arranging because we will be going into school how we normally would.

Is it a public location?
No, the school is only available to students.

Lighting: Are they filming during the day or night?
We will be filming in the day but hopefully we will be able to keep the room looking dark by closing the blinds.

Do they need to take lights with them?
We won't need any extra lights.

Actors: Who will we need to be there?
We will need Dominic and Adam on the first filming day because they are acting. Harry will come on the first day because he is filming and Bronwen will come to help direct.

Which characters are they playing?
Dominic is playing the victim being hung by a rope and Adam will be playing the killer.

Will they need to learn a script in advance?
They won't need to learn a script for words because the scene doesn't have any talking but we will bring our storyboard so we follow it exactly.

Film crew: Who will do what on the day?
Harry will be filming.
Adam and Dominic will be acting.
Bronwen will help direct because she doesn't act in this scene.

Props: What do they need to take with them?
We will need to take: A rope (We will have to use something else if we cannot find one).

Who is in charge of getting particular props?
Adam will try to find a rope to bring in.

What is their backup plan if the weather disrupts filming?
Weather won't be a problem because we will be filming inside and the windows won't be visible.

Which sections of the film are they going to capture in this filming slot?
we will be filming shots 4,5,7 and 8.

Which shots are you going to cover and what sound do you need to capture?
we will be filming shots 4,5,7 and 8. We will be capturing all the sound with the video that we record. We already have an idea for the music that will be playing over the video, we will create this when we begin editing.

Evaluation of feedback

We were mainly questioned about doing an aerial shot and simulating someone being hung up by a rope. We can combat these problems by using a desk to do the aerial shot. We take a picture of Dom (the woman you assumed he was) with a rope hung round his neck, to make him look hung we will sello tape the rope to the ceiling or something to make the rope look tight, and then take a picture of him looking dead.
We were also asked how the eerie music will sound, we decided that it will sound similar to the exorcist theme, using a piano tune.
We were asked to write more detail about the opening credits. We wanted to have it appearing in a similar way to charmed.
We were also told that we are missing a title, so we have edited our description to show a title have finally thought of, we have named it 'Dark Dreamer'.

Why Thrillers Thrive

On the article 'Why thrillers thrive' we find that we don't fully agree or disagree with what is being said, although good points are raised, some things that are said are a little off point for example "the horror film will die" which is a very unrealistic accusation. They seem to be biased on the side of the thriller film genre but by this are unfairly casting out horror which is a very popular and grasping genre alone and will for the rest of time will attract it's large audience to the cinema.
I think this article is trying to put down the horror genre as part of promoting the thriller genre, by this we disagree with their method although some of the points they raise are very interesting for example "Our nature is such that we must have these shake-ups." Yes thriller delivers this but so does horror, in fact horror delivers a much stronger and intense thrill.
I think the person who wrote this article has a serious grudge against horrors, in this they are trying to make their readers think it is a bad and sick thing to engage in which is indeed wrong.
The article itself is interesting and true but they go a little off course when they bring in horror, as it delivers the safe thrill that they are trying to promote. We disagree with how they've belittled the horror genre, which is a bit of a letdown.

Finalised ideas for thriller

Title - Dark Dreamer

0.00-0.10 - fades in from black to an establishing shot rotating around the detective and his desk. No audio at this time.
Dark office room.
Computer, photos, reports, desk lamp.

0.10-0.20 - Shot changed to an ariel shot above the desk showing photos, reports and office equipment in detail. the camera is tracking over the desk from one side to the other.
Dark office room.
Computer, photos, reports, desk lamp.

0.20-0.30 - halfway through panning across the table, the camera zooms into a photo of the victim with a rope around their neck. a light flashes and a sound is created to show that there is a flashback. the scene changes to a high angle over the shoulder shot of the antagonist approaching on the same victim who was hung up. the scene is very dark and the antagonist is holding a rope in his hand. very quiet music is playing to build up tension, the music is going to sound very eerie.
A grimy room, for the victims house.
Rope. furniture a normal house would have.

0.30-0.40 - The shot fades to a closer shot of the antagonist close to the victim with a zoom on the rope in his hand, the music rises at this point to suggest action soon connected to the rope. after 5 seconds or so, the shot changes to a closeup of the victims face in dim light and a rope is brought around to his neck and shows him being choked until the flashback stops with the same effects that started it. the choking scene uses a canted angle and the music becomes violent and thrilling at the point of the choking scene.
A grimy room, for the victims house.
Rope. furniture a normal house would have.

0.40-0.50 - The camera continues to track across the top of the desk for about 5 seconds. Then the camera zooms into a suicide note written on lined paper. another flashback is triggered using the same light flash and sound effect that was used before. The music has faded down to how it was during the first pan across the desk at the start of the scene.
Back in the office.

0.50-1.00 - The shot shows an aerial view of the body of the victim on the floor and the antagonist securing the rope around their neck, this lasts around 5 seconds. the next scene shows the antagonist dragging a body that is out of shot, all we see is the antagonist pulling on the rope suggesting it. this lasts another 5 seconds and is using a mid shot.
Back to the grimy house.
1.00-1.10 - The antagonist places a suicide note he has written to cover up the evidence.
The camera will zoom in on his hand as he places it on a desk, lasting around 5 seconds.
There will then be a cross fade to his wife's hand tapping him on his shoulder to wake him up, to cause confusion.
still at grimy house, with suicide note, and table.
The changes back to the office.

1.10-1.20 - Zoom out, to over the shoulder shots, of the wife telling him to come to bed / moaning.
changes back to the office.

1.20-1.30 - Zoom in on detectives face showing confusion, then over the shoulder shot of him looking at his notes on the desk.
changes back to the office.

1.30-1.40 - Canted low angle shot, detective gets up aggressively, and walks to bed slamming the door behind him.
which triggers the credits.
changes back to the office.

1.40-1.50 - The Title appears with a an impact, straight in your face, with a killer feeling, in the font, and the music comes in suddenly to give the shock to the viewers, similar to the exorcist music, which is a mental rhythm.
changes back to the office.

1.50-2.00 - The credits then role, the name of the actors, hopefully a decoding affect, which gives the impressions this is going to be hard to solve.
Black screen, no setting.

Panic Room opening credits analysis

The credits reflect the psychological genre by not appearing too menacing like in se7en where they jitter around to give a sense of insanity. The text blends in with the city buildings to make it look part of them, this looks realistic. The titles show the film is going to be a psychological thriller because the threat is at a mental level rather than psychical because the credits appear calm rather than psychical.
How ever the music contrasts that as it is quite menacing and gives the idea that things could change.
This is unusual because in thrillers the titles normally suggest the antagonists personality to be crazy and insane.

The credits aren't scary or to crazy because Panic Room builds up the tension during the film and there isn't a sudden dilemma.
Our film will be dis similar because it starts of with a dilemma, the detective studying a killers reports and photos.
Our writing will appear threatening like a generic thriller title.

Analysing Credits "Six Feet Under"

Six Feet Under, Main Title Sequence
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Judging this program from never seeing it automatically it strikes me as dark thriller because of all the dead images of people and camera shots of for example the person walking down the dark, long corridor but the music tells us something completely the opposite (contrapuntal); the music is very chirpy and happy yet the images to go with it are very dark and gloomy this gives us the impression that it could be a comedy, a black comedy at that.
The credits seem to be flaking away which has a link to the theme of death and burial; they can look pretty in the sense that they are flaking away into the image and it looks like quite a different and quirky effect, only when you look closer do you see that perhaps it has a link to the themes of the program itself.
This shows how important music is to a film or program, it sets the scene and can either be used to correspond with the images and add effect or disagree with the images and give us an idea of what the true genre of the film is meant to be.


Six Feet Under has a similar beat to Desperate Housewives, both openings have fun and bouncy music this is how I knew Six Feet Under was not a serious dark thriller.

Garageband screenshot

We created a garageband file for the opening of the film 'identity'
We used a soundtrack to build u tension and thunder effects to add realism, along with ambient sound of rain.

Storyboard for Thriller

This is our storyboard, It will help us plan what we are going to be film at the actual setting of the film and help us stay true to the original design


This our storyboard in written form for more precise detail.

Protagonist Comparason

We used Clarice from Silence of the Lambs to compare to our protagonist. She is very involved in her work and shows great fascination with Hannibal Lector.

• Her costume tells us that she is very committed and smartly dressed we don't often see her casually dressed which shows us she is more work than play.
• Shes a strong woman who is determined to solve these clues and get Hannibal even though it involves getting mixed up in a very dangerous way of life and work.
  
• She often turns to clues and has a strange relationship with Hannibal which makes the film more gripping, we know our Antagonist, it's like a constant gripping mind game.

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• Our protagonist links in with Clarice because they're both committed to their job and we are going to show this in his costume, we will always have him dressed smartly.
• They will both be putting their lives and spare time into catching their antagonists, they will both be chasing up clues until the antagonist is behind bars.
  

18 Certificate Classification

Discrimination
The work can endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs
Drug taking may be shown the film can promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is also acceptable.

Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted including sadistic or sexualised.

Language
Any kind of language can be used including swears and racism.


Sex
Sexual content may be strong and can include nude scenes and vivid sexual acts.

Violence
Violence can be heavy and can detail sadistic acts.

Antagonist Comparison

The detective in our film is both the antagonist and the protagonist; whilst he is awake and doing investigative work he is the protagonist, but when he is asleep he is the antagonist because he goes around killing people.

When the detective is in antagonist 'mode' it is at first unclear as to why he is doing it, but I think it's a kind of impulsive thing; he has no motive and he doesn't have a killer mentality, this is what makes him a different kind of antagonist to other films of the same genre. In Reservoir Dogs the killing is all done for a reason .i.e someone owes someone money or killing off the competition; whilst Reservoir Dogs is largely a crime thriller there are scenes in which it crosses over to the psychological genre i.e. the torture scene in which "Stuck in the middle with you is played" in the background. The villains in Reservoir Dogs do not have dual mentality's.


The character Jack in the shining is very similar to our detective character, whilst he is not killing in his sleep he is unknowing being controlled by evil forces. Also The Shining is a psychological thriller because Jack is terrorizing his family.

Mise-en-scene

Scene 1. Asleep on the desk
Lighting:
Dim lighting, we want to make it look like he has been working up late, a lamp would ideally be a good light source but it may be difficult for us to film at night or in the dark as we don't all live locally.

A History of Violence is an example of a low key and dark film; We want our film to have this kind of look to it as it's mysterious and dark. The mum who comes in at 6.57 is what we want the protagonists wife to look like when she comes in to tell him to come back to bed.

Setting:
We want our scene to be like a study in his own home, all cosy and warm, this makes us feel safe as it's a secure location.

Colour:
In his home the colours will be very warm, like different tones of brown to show wood, so here we will not be using a lot bright colour.

Props:
All the documents and paper on the desk are there to show the audience clues to what the films going to be about. We will hopefully have a little lamp placed on the desk to give off a little dim light, enough for him to read late at night.

This clip from se7en shows the kind of notes we want on the desk. Possibly not as gruesome because the opening will have a 15 certificate.

Costume:
We'll have the detective wearing glasses as this is more of a transformation from detective to killer, when he kills he is not wearing glasses. We also want to have him wearing a suit in this scene as we want to show the audience that he is a detective who is very involved in his work, shown by him falling asleep on his desk.

Scene 2. Flashback of killing
Lighting:
Dim lighting again, we want to keep it spooky and mysterious which is harder to achieve with bright lighting, light signifies hope which is not what we're portraying.

Props:
The rope we will be using to hang the victim and strangle them with.

Costume:
He is going to be wearing a hoodie. this is ideal because we can't see the killers features like hair, eyes etc, if we get the lighting right it should shadow over and darken his face, making it difficult to identify him.

Colour:
There won't be a lot of colour because of its genre, we are also going to keep this scene dull an dim looking. There is no blood in this scene which would've added a bit more colour.

We won't be using colour like it is used in this film, this is an example of a cheery, happy film. We will use darker colours.

Setting:
Inside a room, we're going to be focusing mostly on the killing so the room itself isn't hugely significant.

Pitch for Thriller

Our film is a Psychological thriller. The protagonist falls victim to his mental state, and becomes unconsciously aware that he is the antagonist.
The Main character when asleep goes into a mental state and becomes a psycho killer.
How ever whilst awake he is a top detective try to figure out these un-ordinary

1) The Genre of our thriller film is psychological.
- This will meat the conventions:
The mystery is the psycho killer, who is unaware of his actions when awake. the Audience will be unaware the protagonist is the antagonist.
- The danger is at a mental level rather than physical, because its all happening in the protagonists unconscious mind.
- One solitary character in a mental conflict, main character is killer and innocent detective.
- At the end the Antagonist discovers hes the protagonist.
- Antagonist fascination with death is linked to his job, as a detective.
Also in his sleep hes got death on his mind.
- Dream and reality.

2) Dark office - Because the detective is hard at work late at night trying to uncover the truth behind the killings, then falls asleep at desk.
Dark rooms - to use flash backs of killings after action.
Outside(Dark) - flash backs of killings after action.

3)narrative
the opening starts off with the detective asleep on his desk surrounded by notes, establishing shot and panning over the documents
then the camera focuses in on a document near the detective this turns into a flashback, we create the flashback using a strobe light, dissolve and a whooshing sound effect.
in the flashbacks we will show the killer in low lighting standing over the body of his victim, and in other flashbacks, killing the victim. we will use over the shoulder shots to hide the identity of the killer and feel like your in his shoes and low shots on the corpse to show the killers strength.
we will continue panning and zooming into reports on the desk about 3 times and then at the end we will show the detective waking up in a sweat, looking disturbed.

4)
Adam - Detective and Killer
Bronwen - Victim
Dom - Victim
Harry - Camera work, maybe another victim.

5)Brand new film.
The opening is similar to identity but on the whole is different.
The theme we will use will be similar to the exorcists theme.

6) Titles: Opening slowing streaming characters names etc. Font slightly decrypting like in charmed opening credits, slightly gothic font.


7) We'll probably be using a spooky, psycho, mysterious feel to the opening theme tune, like the exorcist.


Shots - Establishing shot of his desk, panning across.
High shots over the detectives shoulder shot, to show how superior the killer is in the flash backs.
Close ups of reports and detectives notes. Similar to the Thriller Se7en.

Montage for looking over his notes and reports.

8)certificate 15 - It does not repeat strong language as we are not aloud to swear.
There will be no sexual content, drugs, discrimination or long scenes of violence.


Feedback from pitch

Corrected the meaning of narrative

Q: How are we going to let the audience know that a flashback is taking place?
A: We are going have a flash of light and a sound effect to make it clear to the audience

Q: Where are you going to film the thriller?
A: Inside the school because most of us do not live locally

Q: How are you going to show the credits?
A: We will have the credits opening up with a effect that looks likes it is decoding letters to reach the name of our cast

12/12A Classification

12/12A

12 and 12A have the same criteria the only difference is 12A is available at the cinema and means a child under 12 is allowed in with a parent, 12A allows the parent to judge the film and make the decison whether or not it is suitable for their child to watch. 12/12A means no one under the age of 12 allowed to see, buy or rent it.


Citerias

• Drug abuse must not be glamourised or shown in detail, must be very vague and infrequent.
• Moderate language can be used, strong words must not be frequent 'one offs'.
• Horror sequences must not be frequent or sustained but they can show both physical and pyschological threats.
• Nudity is allowed but in a sexual way it must be kept discreet.
• Adult themes are allowed but the way they deal with it must be suitable for young teenagers.
• Sexual activity must be breifly and discreetly portrayed. Sexual references must be suitable for young teenagers, nothing too outragous.
• Violence must not be detailed, there shouldn't really be emphasis on injury and blood. Sexual violence can only be indicated or implied discreetly and must have strong justification.
• Easy access weapons must not be glamourised. Dangerous behaviour, for example self harming should not be shown to be pain free and easy, they shouldn't go into detail on things that could end up being copied.
• Aggressive or disciminatory language is unlikely to be allowed unless very strongly condemned

BBFC 15

A 15 certificat means no one younger than 15 should be sold a cinema ticket.
Also neither should they be sold or rent a 15 rated film. It is illegal.

How a 15 is classified

• Must not have discriminatiing language or behavour.
• The film on a whole must not promote illegal drugs, but may use short scenes.
• strong threat or menice are permitted, unless they are linked with seducing or sex.
• Strong language is allowed if justified with the content, but there may not be a repeated use of highly strong language.
• Nudity and sex is allowed but in miled detail.
• Sexusl conent is allowed in miled detailed, strongest references are not accepted unless justified with content.
• The is no prohibited themes, provided the film is appropriate for 15 years and under.
• Violence is allowed but may not be shown for long periods of time, neither dhould it be sexual violence, there may be strong language to portray violence but must be discreet if sexual.
  

Ident

This is our ident which we made on photoshop. At first we had an idea of having a very black and dark indent, with a black panther growling on the front but we thought it would be a good idea to blend some northen lights into the background, we developed our idea and decided to scrap that whole panther and just focus on the northen lights.

Analysis of students thrillers 2

Parallel - Psychological Thriller
Holding a shot steady - most shots are seen as steady, none are hand held
We only see the essential in all the shots, this includes the character and setting.
We see all shot distances.
We see relevant material in the clip e.g. relationship between characters and introduction of characters.
The music creates and mysterious, mental atmosphere and the clips show characters in depth thoughts and struggle of the mind.
The editing shows that the characters are in psychological peril because we see shadows of them and strange cuts.
Lots of effects, the opening uses parallel and fading shot.
the music fits in well with the video.
The clip uses titles effectively because they blend it to look like part of the environment and uses a relevant font.

Conventions of psychological thrillers
There isn't really a mystery involved in the opening sequences, but it keeps the viewers confused as to how the too characters link.

Thriller Clip Analysis

Psycho

We think that the clip would fit in the psychological/crime thriller sub genre.

The clip is reasonably steady however there are times when the camera is a bit shaky.

They use an appropriate range of shots for example when she puts her hand on the door handle to lock the door, a close up is used which emphasizes the fact she is trying to stay safe.

Apart from the close up that is used the shot distances are all pretty much the same.

A range of appropriate material has been shot, the clip almost crosses the barrier between thriller and horror, however we don't actually see the killing so it is definitely a thriller.

The mise-en-scene is good because they have selected a good location, have used lighting well etc...

Editing has been done very well, the music has been made to link in with the editing, for example, when the individual credits come up the music becomes more up beat, the editing has been nicely fit together, everything flows nicely; we understand clearly what is going on.

They use a lot of effects and transitions on the writing, they also use the credits to cut the camera into a different posioning, this is a really good idea, we should defiently bare this in mind for when we come to our opening.

We don't hear anything that needs a sound effect with the image eg. a knife stabbing through someone but the music flows well with what we are shown, the music corrasponds with what we are seeing.

It introduces the antagonist through killing this girl but we arn't introduced to any other main characters.

It introduces the themes of the film by showing us it's a mysterious killer with a mask, we know it's going to be a crime thriller and perhaps with the slight horror element it may be pychological. We already know about the killer and how he kills but who is the man/woman hiding behind the mask and that is what we watch it for.

It doesn't really show where they are, it only shows us where the girl getting killed lives which is crucial to the scene but not really to the story.

We can tell the kind of narrative structure by how it's been set up. We can tell this psycho killer will kill others before he is figured out and caught by the protagonist, justice will be served in the end.

The music isn't heavy metal to indicate a psycho killer (more horror style) its more mysterious and interesting which works really fantastically, the music makes this clip and tells us exactly where it's heading.

We are shown the killers persoanlity; ruthless, carefree but we don't know yet if his kills are random or if they're reasons behind his choice?

Acheiving a Top Grade

Marking Criteria - Level 4 - 48/60

Demonstrate excellence in the following:

• Holding a steady shot
• Framing a shot appropriately
  
• Using a variety of shot distances
  
• Shooting material appropriate to the task
  
• Editing so meaning is appropriate to the viewer
  
• Using varied shot transitions and effects
• Using sound with images

Needs...

• Introducing the main characters
• Revealing the themes of the film
• Introducing the setting/location of the film
• We should have an idea of the narrative structure
• Music should indicate the genre of the film
• Indication of the character personality.
  

Analysis of students thrillers

Chains - Psychological Thriller
It holds a steady shot on the phone closeup
Most clips only include the victim and the tent with the surrounding area to show setting
It doesn't meet all the shot ranges, we only see mid and closeup shots.
It shows the psychological element e.g. the phone messages and mystery of her death.
We can clearly see the use of mise en scene by the use of hand held camera and jerky and mysterious music.
The editing tells us who is the victim and who is the killer by the vulnerability in the shots e.g. closeup of her eyes.
When the character is running there's a weird colouring effect which gives the impression of escaping from something.
in the forest setting we see appropriate use of a wind sound.
We see titles on a black background in time with the music and in a spooky font, the title chains at the end stands out to the rest and makes itself unique.

Psychological Conventions
The opening clip is left is leaving suspense, which meats the mystery convention, as to who, and how she died.
The danger is at a mental level, this is represented with the mysterious texts and phone calls, leaving the characters feeling vulnerable.
There are two characters preying on each others, the victim and the killer e.g. the phone call calls etc a battle of the mind.
We cant see yet that the characters try to discover the purpose.
We don't get to see if the characters have a fear or fascination with death.
Narrative is confuing over what is real. when she is running she is also in the tent at the same time.

Action Thriller

Action Thriller Conventions

• Obvious antagonist
• Race against the clock scenario
• Features more violence than other sub genres
  
• Disruption to equilibrium requires the protagonist to use action to solve it
• Must be skilled in combat, physically fit
• Usually involves character of the opposite sex to drive the narrative, their loyalty will be questioned.

Hostage

• The obvious antagonists are the criminals holding the house hostage, also the unknown criminals blackmailing Bruce Willis' character.
• Race against the clock scenario, they have to rescue the hostages and Bruce must retrieve the secret dvd before the unknown antagonists kill his family.
• There's loads of shooting and killing in graphic detail, the different methods of killing such as flames are more violent than other sub genres.
• Equilibrium of the hostages normal family life, this is used to introduce us to the characters and their rich lifestyle which leads to the main antagonists who hold them hostage; it also introduces the house, which is key to the other part of the story, introducing us to the other antagonists.
• The girl hostage could be the one who drives the main criminal as he is intrigued by her, her loyalty is questioned because whatever she does is to distract him and save her family; she knows he likes her and she uses this to her advantage.

Action Thriller Conventions

Crime Thriller - Resevoir Dogs

How Reservoir Dogs meets all the conventions of a crime thriller.

Suspenseful account of successful or failed crimes
In the trailer we see the protagonists taking about robbing a bank and we see them highjacking a car, this tells us that they are generally experts and get away with their crimes.

Features:
Murders - We see characters shooting at police and other people a lot.
Robberies - Protagonists seen robbing a bank.
Shoot-outs - The whole clip mainly involves shooting.

Glorify the rise and fall of the criminal
promotes the protagonists and the music makes it out to be a positive thing.

We see the setting in a large crowded city and we see many clips of hideouts

All the protagonists seek to commit the perfect crime.

We see rivalry between the police and criminals possibly showing a personal grudge. Also small possible rivalry between protagonists.

Mainly abandoned warehouses and streets.

How Resevoir Dogs doesn't meet the conventions of a crime thriller

The movie uses comedic music in one scene that you would not normally see in a crime thriller.

Psychological Thriller

Psychological Thriller Conventions

*Drama/Mystery
*Danger is on a mental level
*Two or more characters preying on eachothers minds to create conflict
*Characters try and discover their purpose
*Characters often have a fear or fascination with death
*Narrative, confusion over what is real

The Sixth Sense


How this meets the conventions:
The drama and mystery is shown through the mystery of the unknown, it draws us in and their is drama the whole way through. The mystery also expands towards the end.

The ghosts only interact with him and this is a mental struggle as he is the only child with this kind of ability. They are not all friendly ghosts which is a big threat and he cannot seek help.

The ghosts torments his mind and causes him problems mentally and when it comes to interactions with others.

He has to try and figure out what they're for and that he has to help them, he learns that they are not initially there to cause him trouble.

The whole story is linked and connected to death. He is frightened all the time as they won't leave him alone, Bruce Willis is fascinated and sticks with him as a friend and a helper.

We don't really understand fully until all is unraveled at the end. We remain confused because certain things don't add up like his wife getting married again and her ignoring him. We don't realize until the end that infact the psychiatrist (his friend) is actually dead and the boy is just seeing him in his head.

Politcal Thriller - Vantage Point

Conventions of a Political Thriller

• Threat is set against a back drop of a politcal power struggle
• Plots are designed to give political power to someone
• Different characters are setup to try and prevent people receiving power
• 2 sets of characters ranked in authority

Vantage Point - Conforming to the conventions

The president being shot applies to the political power struggle between America and the middle east.
The terrorists are being given the political power as they are in control as they shot the president, leaving 6 million American citizens in anarchy.
There are the people set up to resist the terrorists gaining power in the form of the government and witnesses listening to the presidents speech.
The 2 ranked characters in authority are the government because they are looking to prosecute the terrorists but the terrorists have authority because they have slung the Americans into chaos by killing their leader and they are able to kill more.

Vantage Point - Challenging Conventions
It doesn't really challenge any conventions but, the actual killer is a 3rd set of character, Government and Terrorists are the immediate sets of charcaters, and the killer isn't an imediate.

Se7en Analysis

00:00 - 06:20

Mise-en-scene:

Lighting ..It's really dimly lit, it's like a coloured version of the black and white film noir. This lighting is effective because it's very doom and gloom which suits the genre, if it was bright and colourful we would expect to see a more upbeat and cheerful film.

Colour ..There is very little colour in this film, it's very dull which could mean people are less distracted by all the bright colours and therefore actually pay more attention to what is being said which is crucial to a thriller. The dull gloomy colours help set the atmosphere.

Props ..His badge, pen and knife are all layed out organised on the table for him, these all seem to look slightly brighter than everything else maybe to show the importance of the character, they're all in gold to which shows a high rank. The ticking object by his bed sets up for the opening credits, it also signifies time and time is linked in greatly with the film itself, eg the mass killer killing within seven days, will they succeed?

Setting ..For some reason it strikes me as New York with all the background noise. It's very dingy and dirty, the kind of place where murder is easier to get away with or more commonly seen.

Costume ..You can tell who the police are straight away by their uniform and then you get the higher ranks which are also quite easy to spot, eg, the smart suits and badges show detectives or other high ranks like Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt.

Cinematography
In all of the scenes with Morgan Freeman talking to the other character he is always in the shot, This implies that he is more important because he is always the focus.

Sound
The opening scene in Se7en is full of background noise which helps us imagine the city as very grimy and crime filled place.

Analysis of Vertigo

Sound
Very dramatic and fast paced, when the cop falls off the build the music becomes more daunting. The music before this is building up tension to the disaster that is going to happen.

Mise-en-scene...
Lighting
The lighting is dark and dull, it focuses mainly on the characters and the action.

Colour
The scene was very grey, there were no bright colours, this could suggest a serious and bleak atmosphere.

Costume
We could differentiate the characters, who were the good characters and the bad characters because of their costume, e.g. the policeman in his uniform and his colleague who was perhaps higher up than him because of his smart uniform, he would've been a detective or something similar.

Props
The policeman had a gun that we could hear firing in the opening of the clip, this added effect to the scene because it shows that the criminal is worth shooting at and the good guys are desperate to subdue him.

Setting
The city looks grimy and dangerous. Because the characters are on a high roof we can tell that disaster is about to strike due to the name of the film, Vertigo and the music.

Analysis of Hannibal Rising

Sound
The sound in this clip helps to set the scene of the story. It does this because the music is classical and dreary, we can tell it is going to be set in an old area and there will be sadness. The characters voiceover also helps this because he speaks in a low, saddened tone that helps us relate and feel sorry for him, even though he is the main villain.

Props
The character handles the organs very expertly which suggests he is experienced with handling them and this creates a sense of spookyness, the objects are very detailed which might influence a physical reaction and the dolls heads on the ceiling not only makes us feel sorry for the character but it also makes us feel scared of him because the death of his daughter has made him hang up these heads and we can tell that something will go wrong.

Lighting
The scene in general is very dark so we get a scary atmosphere from that, the fact that it is mainly lighted with candles also adds effect. The lighting is always spotlighted on the character in the dark scenes to draw attention to him and this can make him look important and possibly superior.

Editing
There is some quick-cut editing in some clips which can mount tension and show scene rapidly, this could also be montage editing because it is showing several clips over a timeline.

Cinematography
The clip is edited around the main character which makes the character seem more important and focused. It allows us to get drawn into the scene because the panning is slow and it gives us the feeling we are near the main character, we feel like we are walking with him too in the dolly shots.

By Harry

Prelimary task

This is our prelimary task
It stars Bronwen and Dominic and Harry and Adam as cameramen/directors

Disturbia Clip

Disturbia, 1.45- 4.25.

Micro Elements:

Sound
It's all silent and quiet with only the sound of crickets to be heard until the womans scream, then the music starts and builds up at the crucial parts, using strong violins and drums to build up the suspense and tension. When we are drawn away from the direct action the music drops to calm us down so that we can get our breath back and relax for a few seconds, the music encourages us to feel frightened that's why when it stops or calms down we feel safer.

Editing
The editing is cut fast to show confusion and panic during the action sequence, we as the audience don't quite understand what's going on therefore we worry more for the characters safety.

Cinematography
The camera angles used in the action sequence range from close ups to midshots which keep us very close with the characters, making it more frightening for us to watch. They also use handheld to make it more scary, we don't know what's happening and the whole viewing experience is made more confusing and disturbing, handheld shaking around also causes some panic. Zoom has been used a few times to bring us closer to the action and character, this usually indicates the fear in their expression.

Mise-en-scene

Lighting ..The lighting is very dim and shadowed, this type of lighting creates a very dark and eerie atmosphere which is perfect for this film.

Colour ..There is not a lot of colour, it's very grey and dark to set the mood. When the handheld camera angle is used everything is green as it is on nightvision which actually makes it more frightening.

Setting ..It's set in Suburban America where everyone has their white picket fenced houses and everyone is friendly and gets along with eachother; that's what makes it more frightening, how such a perfect little neighbourhood has been corrupted by a serial killer who is disguised as a regular guy.

Props ..The props included in this scene were: binoculars, video camera, tv screen, video camera stand, mobile and computer, all of the above are very modern technical objects, from this alone we can assume this is aimed at more of a young modern audience who will be able to appriciate all the uses of technology. Without all of his technology he wouln't of been able to seek out the killer and catch him, so therefore the technology has been portrayed in a possitive light.

Costume ..The female victum is wearing a smart black dress which indicates they may have been out somewhere nice together. When the camera catches a climpse of the killer his shirt buttons are undone which tells us he has been involved in some sort of physical contact, because of the music and cinematography we are lead to believe that he killed her and she put up a struggle.

Storyboard

We have to create a scene with match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. We are doing this cintinuity task to show we have the skil required to make a thriller opening.
Harry and Adam will be using the camera and directing, Dominic and Bronwen will be acting.
We will try and find a spare room to use in the G-block.

Group 72 introduction

We are working in the same group that we were in when we did the children's film preliminary task. Harry, Dominic, Adam and Bronwen.

Establishing shot

clip from the shining thriller
effective because it builds up tension and sets the scene of the movie.

Close-up shot

This is effective because it shows us the phone is important, it's a crucial part of the scene.

Filming a conversation

This is effective because it helps tell the story instead of using a narrator.

Long shot

This is effective because it shows all the charectors in context of the scene.

Match on action shot


This is effective because it allows the audience to get a good view of the scene and they can feel like they are in it.

Reaction shot

This reaction shot effective because it tells us that the character is interested.