The Usual Suspects (Sound anaylsis)

Ambient sound
Oil/ Petrol dripping out of the barrels
Fire from lighters/ matches
Explosions

Music
Sinister when the murderer is introduced
Music stops during the actual murder then becomes slower and sadder
Sinister and tense throughout

Dialogue
Short
Slowed down
Not casual

Six feet under (Text analysis)

The credits are presented in one of two ways either with the text decaying and falling apart or being attached to walls and object etc. that are in the clip. This is effective as it relates to the themes in the show with death and decay.

We may use a similar idea to the text attached to walls or objects in our thriller to present the credits.

Mise-en-scene (Props)

Weapons
The weapon we have decided to use is a knife. If we use weapon this is an easy and more realistic prop to get compared to something like a gun.

Photos
Our film is based on a photographer therefore we will need photos. We are going to take photos of people dressed up asif they have been murderd.

Camera
As well as needing photos we are going to include a shot of a camera. we are going to use an old fashoned camera to suit our character.

Scrap Book
we are going to include a scrap book full of the photos we have taken. we will use an old nackerd one, again to suit out character.

Mise-en-scene (Lighting)

Darkroom
The scenes in the darkroom will be dark and lit only by the red lights used in the darkroom.

Chase
The scenes from the chase will be shot at night and lit by the street lights.

Mise-en-scene (Make-up)

Make-up.

Squibs/Blood.
We will need fake blood to use for the images in the photos that are going to be in the scrapbook at the end of the 2 minute sequence.. We can use normal fake blood or tomato sauce.

Make-up/Facepaint.
We will need face paints or make up to make the people in the image look dead. We will also use this to creat cuts and bruises on the victims. 
 

 

Cast & Crew ideas

Crew:
Filming - Charné (darkroom),  Alex and Ashley
Editing - Everyone
Sound - Everyone

Cast:
Photographer - Ashley or other depending on bob
Killer -  doesn't matter as from POV
Victim - family member / friend
Extras (dead people) - family members / friends

The classification for our film - 15

We have decided that if our film was made it would most likely be a 15 as it allows us to do what we want which is to have murders and slightly gory scenes and to keep the biggest audience available.
The BBFC classification restricts us to :

• No discriminatory language or acts
• No promoting the use of drugs
• No sadistic or sexual horror
• No focus on dangerous behaviour e.g. hanging, suicide
• No easily accessible weapons should be glamorised
• Frequent use of strong language is accepted but frequent use of the strongest language is not allowed
• Sexual content is allowed as long as it is not focused on in detail
• No prohibition on themes as long as it is suitable for 15 year olds
• Violence can be strong but must not dwell on the infliction of pain and injury

The uninvited (Psychological thriller).

The Uninvited.

The uninvited is a Horror/Psychological thriller. It follows a lot of the conventions that this sub genre carries. For example, all the way through it has a misleading storyline, with the plot changing as the film progresses. This is done by making the audience think that the fathers fiancee is the antagonist, when we find out at the end that the main character has a physcological problem and has murdered the 'stepmother' thinking it was her sister. The main character develops and obsession with proving that her stepmother murdered her mother to be with her dad. This becomes stronger as the film progresses and we find ourselves believing this too, this is a convention of thrillers. Extraordinary evens happen throughout the film to the main character, as she has visions of her mother and starts repetitively seeing three dead children, who she believes were killed by her stepmother. We then find out at the end that even though her older sister was with her during the film, she actually died in the same explosion her mother did, and shed been seeing things. The main character is shown to be one step ahead of the stepmother the whole way through the film, though suspense is created as the stepmother catches on to her research and becomes a threat, but not for the same reason we feel she is. Her time at the hospital isolates her as a character, though this isn't shown straight away as we think her sister is on her side until the very end. She is in danger on a mental level in the film, as the threat of being labelled crazy is over her head the whole time, and she is worried she will be sent back to the hospital. We as an audience don't know if what shes seeing is real or imaginary through the film.

Our ideas - Capture

It will be a psychological, crime thriller, called Capture, with a base storyline of there is a person who takes photographs of crime scenes and murder scenes as a hobby, then throughout the film he slowly progresses into creating the crime scenes then eventually the murder scenes for him to take photographs of.

Our mood board contains things vital to the plot which are the darkroom scenes seeing the photographer at work, the various crime scenes which the photographer visits and eventually creates, and various murder weapons which the photographer keeps with each relevant photo and uses to commit the crimes.

Possible locations:

• Darkroom on college site
• Mill road and roads coming off from Mill road

Protagonists & Antagonists in The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight has your two typical protagonists and antagonists. These being Batman and The Joker, Batman is shown to fight on the side of justice apprehending criminals and taking down bad guys, whereas The Joker is shown terrorizing people and being on the side of anarchy and mayhem.
The costumes suggest to the audience the protagonist and antagonist roles should be reversed as Batman is wearing a completely black suit whereas the joker is wearing greens and purples, this can also show how, in some ways batman is also breaking the law by taking into his own hands. The music that plays when Batman is on screen is very fast paced, making it sound heroic and epic whereas the music playing when The Joker has screen time is very dark and chaotic.

HEADSTART Productions

We decided to call our production company 'Headstart productions'. This implies that the films we produce are trendsetters and are ahead of other production companies. We chose a man running across the screen, this backs up the production name, as he looks as though he has a head start to a race. The colours used are simple black and white, meaning they could apply to any genre.

When animated, the silhouette man will move across the screen from left to right at the same time the logo moves underneath from right to left. this will make is seem as though he is running across the screen, and make it more interesting to look at.

Touchstone Pictures Ident

The ident is quite dark which means it wouldn't necessarily be associated with children's films, this immediately narrows down the type of film for the audience. The lack of sound allows the ident to be used for various different films, and allow the sound of the film to start during its screen time.

Student thriller opening evaluation.

The video is marked out of 60. There are 4 grade boundaries. Level 1 up to 25, level 2 24-35, level 3 36-47 and level 4 48-60. Level 2 is basic, level 3 is proficient and level 4 is excellent. 

To get the higher grades you need to...

- Hold a shot steady where appropriate.

- Frame a shot including and excluding elements.

- Using a variety of shot distances as appropriate.

- Shooting material appropriate to the task.

- Selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure and lighting etc.

- Editing so that meaning is clear to the audience.

- Using varied shot transitions and effects.

- Use sound with images.

- Using titles appropriately. 

The final thriller video this group made includes most of the features needed for a high grade. They used appropriate shots throughout the clip to create the effect they wanted, for example, they held the camera still when zooming in slowly to the hooded figure, this creates the feeling of tension, and allows us to have time to look at the figure. Variety of shots are used in the clip, there are close ups and long shots to show location and character. The sound used in the clip fits well and helps make it clear what genre it is, as its mysterious and fast paced. shot transitions and effects are used between shots and vary through the clip so it is not to repetitive, they also create tension and in some parts make the scene chaotic, showing how the character tied up feels. The editing also helps make out what genre the film is, they use a lot of jump cuts to build suspense and create pace, as well as long screen time in some parts making it mysterious. The mise-en-scene works well to show what the film is about, for example, the costume doesn't give a lot away about the character, meaning even though hes tied up, we don't sympathise with him, we just feel tense about whats happening. His face is covered making it more mysterious, so the audience will want to know whats happening the lighting is dark, but high contrast is used in some parts making it disorientating for the audience. The locations aren't set out using establishing shots, this means the audience doesn't know where they are, this puts across how the character shown is feeling.There aren't any props used, meaning the audience don't have many hints as to what the story line is about. The colours used, are mainly black and white with red titles, the black and white make the opening credits seem dark and disturbing, the red standing out, implies that there is death in the film. The titles are used appropriately at the beginning and end of the clip.


The blog is very well reaserched and planned. They cover alot of the aspects needed for their final video. They tried out a lot of things before doing their finals. For example with sounds and camera work, they tried out different ways of shooting their film, and adding sound to it to try out different sounds. They also compared theirs to other existing thrillers, this helped them choose what worked well and what followed conventions. They planned their basic background storyline based on existing films and storyboarded them so they would have something to work with when they came to shooting it.

T2-58 09/10 Evaluation

T2-58 THRILLER - FINAL from SATMEDIA on Vimeo.

The group mainly hand held their cameras but were able to keep the shots steady allowing the audience to be able to follow their plot. They were also very good at framing especially during the detective scenes as only certain bits of the map or of his notes we're visible. There was a variety of shot distances used appropriately from long shots showing the murder to close-ups of the detective working away. The material shot is very appropriate to the task and creates tension and mystery. The mise-en-scene is very effective and creates fear as the lighting is very dark and there is very little colour shown. The editing effectively shows what is happening this is because the editing is parallel showing both the murder taking place and the detective trying to solve the murder, the editing also has perfect continuity. There is no transitions between the shots but there is a whole set of clips showing the detective which are black and white. The sound works really well with the clips creating a captivating and interesting opening. The titles are effective and placed in appropriate places where they don't distract from the action.

The blog shows that they have effectively planned what they are going to do and how they are going to do it allowing any readers to get a good grasp of the thought patterns and how they came around to their final opening. There isn't much research on the blog just a few DVD covers/ posters and a very short mention to one film. I think we could use their idea of someone trying to figure out the crime but put a twist on it for example you see the murderer planning the murder instead of the detective figuring it out.

Vantage Point (Political Thriller)

Vantage point has a non-linear storyline as each new vantage point adds on to the story, which creates a sense of mystery and tension as each new bit of information is discovered. It also draws innocent people into the political struggle and into the action, the political struggle takes place at an anti-terrorist conference in Spain where the president is shot. There are numerous 'Helpers' throughout the film as each character who has a different vantage point could be deemed as helping the protagonists.
The editing contains lots of short cuts which builds tension and keeps the suspense building all the way through the film. This tension is increased by the special effects which provide a sense of danger to the film, increasing the speed at which the tension is built.

Crime thriller conventions.

In crime thrillers the protagonist usually has a troubled past, this usually is why the crimes are commited.
There is always a well known cast, which are more mature. There is also a love interest of the opposite sex which can be a help or a hindrance. A secret organisation is usually involved at some point, who use a multitude of gadgets during the film. The protagonist generally has an old wise master who becomes like a father to them. The characters are binary opposites this means that the audience will relate to either the protagonist, or the antagonists. The locations are fairly basic but varied and quite stereotypical isolated crime scenes. The protagonist is usually fighting to protect or save something or someone. Although you see the crime being planned the antagonist isn't known until later on in the story. There is also a misleading storyline throughout the film.

Action Thriller (Bourne identity)

Conventions...

In action thrillers, the conventions are things like, more screen time for the main character, allowing us to learn more about them, and to relate to them more than the antagonists. Government or people of authority are always included, usually working against the main character, causing them to be isolated.In action thrillers you dont understand what is happening straight away, there is usually a lot of fight scenes which arent explained until later on. There are also characters which we are briefly introduced to, whose roles are not made clear straight away. Location changes, usually remote destinations, often stereotyped countries e.g. Russia. 

Characters...

In action films, they often introduce people who may not be included in the main plot. This helps set location, as you acknowledge their language and social class. These can sometimes be helpers the the main character. The main character is then introduced, though you dont know anything about them. Your then usually introduced to the antagonists/ dispatchers, who have worked with the main character at some point, though are now working against them. They are usually always a step behind the protagonist, though may at some point catch up to create suspense. 

 Cinematography/ Editing...


Action films usually contain fast cuts during high pased scenes, containing fights or chases. Handheld is used to create a sense of chaos, this makes the audience feel as though they are in the moment. Parrallel shots are used often to show both sides of the fight/chase. It will follow the main characters actions, but will also cut back to who hes being chased by, to remind the audience hes being followed and create suspense and tension. Close-ups are used to show small actions, like pulling the trigger on a gun, or the switch of a facial expression, this gives the audience a clue about what is about to happen, and makes it more exciting as it over exhaggerates the movements. Point of view shots are used to make the audience feel as though they are in the main characters shoes, this allows them to identify with the situation a lot more. Locations often have to be set more than once, meaning establishing shots and pans are used throughout the film, to introduce the new setting. 

Conventions of a Political Thriller

• Uses many locations - often focuses on different cultures or countries.
• 'False heroes' - characters we think are good revealed not to be.
• 'Helper' - character who provides the protagonist with something useful.
• Threat is set against a political power struggle.
• Plots are designed to give political power to someone while opponents try and prevent this.
• Innocent people drawn into the political world.
• Trying to prove innocence.

Conventions of a psychological thriller.

Conventions.

- Misleading storylines, plot twists/tricks
- unusual happenings, extraordinary events
- Clever characters, thinking ahead of everyone else
- Isolated characters
- film works up to a shocking reveal at the end
- Characters have a fasination or fear of death
- Danger on a mental level rather than physical
- Character in confict with their mind, they dont know whats true
- two or more characters preying on each others sanity
-Characters finding their own purpose

Horror and Thriller.

A horror usually consists of:

-A young cast. Unknown or small actors and actresses. 

-violence (Blood and guts).

-focus of the narrative is the violence (not the crime).

-Multiple victims

-Lead victim often becomes the detective.

-suburban setting. 

-Adults are absent or not supportive.

A thriller on the other hand:

-Has a more mature cast (more expensive and well known actors and actresses).

-Focus is on the crime and solving it. 

-often detective as the lead character.

-The victim isn't always known or introduced.

Conventions of a thriller.

Conventions.

-narrative centers around a crime.

-Binary opposite: Protagonist and antagonist, the lead moral and villain. Protagnist will have a weakness which is often referred to in the title, and is at some point shown in peril. 

-Complex web of clues and questions- leads to the protagonist being isolated. 

-Themes of mistaken identity. mirroring illusions. 

-non-linear structure, the use of flashbacks and montages. 

-objectification of females (sexual objects) 

-Viewer becomes voyeur (voyeurism, the audience feel part of the plot)

-micro elements build suspense.

The Prestige

The lighting of the mise-en-scene is very dark which creates a sense of mystery and fear this is increased by the sets as they are very dark and allow very little to be seen either with fog or darkness.
The narrative themes are quite dark with violence, anger and resentment. There is also a vast sense of mystery because of the confusing plot, unchronological edits and with-held information to keep the audience interested and confused.
The main characters frequently change from protagonist to antagonist and vice versa, they also both have the roles of the mastermind and the person being tested which makes them seem equals although they keep trying to 'one up' each other with tricks and tests in the form of ciphers. the character of michael caine is presented as a diplomatic person who tries to stay out of the feud between the two main characters but also has an insight to the tricks and tests.

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task

What was the task?
The task was to create a short film consisting of various shot types which are establishing shot, close up, match on action, reaction shot, long shot and the 180 degree rule.

Why did we do the task?
We did the task to learn each others strengths and to relearn the how to use the software and the camera.

How was it compared to last time?
This time everything went faster from the storyboarding to the filming to the editing because we knew what to do and how to use the cameras and software.