This clip consists of 4 separate settings and scenes. This includes the main scene and 3 different flash backs stemming from this scene. The main scene is shown in the present tense as she is on the verge of suicide. This flashbacks are shown in the past tense; they show the events leading up to the suicide and random snippets into why her emotions are so distraught. We begin with the main scene, then switch to the various flashbacks and finally finish with the main scene and the death of Carol(our protagonist).
The first scene will only consist of one shot. It will be used to present our main character and show her current emotions. During this scene we clearly show the victim on the edge of a bridge preparing to commit suicide using various micro elements to emphasise her paranoid emotions. The cinematography in the scene will be used to clearly show what is happening and a clear bases of what the film is about. This is done through the use of a long shot and zooming in on the character. By using a long shot we are showing the whole of the setting showing clearly the suicide that is taking place and the way in which she could die. The zooming in will be used upon the main character (Britany) to emphasise to the audience how she is the focal point of the clip and to build a relationship between her and viewer so that we sympathise for her. The sound used will be the diegetic noise of her sobbing. This elaborates on her vulnerable, paranoid emotions showing her to be extremely frightened; it furthermore builds upon the sympathising relationship between the audience and the victim. There will be certain filters used to show the gloomy present tense and the miserable distraught emotions shown by the girl. Again emphasising the paranoid, anxious emotions of the girl and foreshadowing potential danger or death creating suspense for the audience. This scene itself is a starting point for the clip demonstrating the girls present state of paranoia; we then switch to the flashbacks showing the events leading up to this.
The first flashback shows the girl in her home comforts as we see first sign of the antagonist as he is crouched outside the girls house when he is noticed by the girl who panics and runs for a knife. The girl will firstly be presented as being innocent and vulnerable. This was done by showing her as wearing comfortable pyjamas and watching a friendly child's film with her blanket. This mes en scene incorporated with the sound of the film portrays an innocent harmless setting. However this is juxtaposed with the menacing presence of the antagonist, therefore elaborating on the surprise effect inflicted upon the viewer. The presentation of the two characters within this scene was added by myself from my individual storyboard. The cinematography helps with this juxtaposition as we use high/low angles on the antagonist and victim to show them as being innocent and dangerous. This builds relationships between the characters and the audience creating a more engaging clip. It was introduced to the planning by Emma. The cinematography is also used to emphasise the panic created by the antagonist as we use a hand held shot to show the victim under danger. There will not be much editing added to the scene apart from the filters used to show the panic and danger within the clip. This scene is mainly used to show the danger of the antagonist and ,mainly, the vulnerability of the victim.
The next flashback consists of the young girl walking home from school on a forest pathway. During this flashback we are going to emphasise the threatening presence of the antagonist by showing him following her home from school. The mes en scene includes showing the victim in her school uniform; this is juxtaposed with the isolated setting emphasising her innocence. This is done through both the cinematography and the sound combined used throughout the scene. An extreme close up is used on the boot of the antagonist plus parallel sound to emphasise his crucial presence within the scene. The close up highlights the importance of the boot and elaborates on the fact that she is in danger, building up suspense for the viewer. The parallel sound emphasises these effects and helps us build a relationship with the character as we clearly hear what she hears. In addition to this a jump cut is used as we show the boot to create an added sense of shock for the audience. The main form of editing we included was a jump cut to show the boot creating the convention of fear for the audience and adding to the tension built as the girl is put in a lot of danger. The aim of this scene was to furthermore elaborate on the vulnerability of the young girl.
The final flashback shows the victim walking home from a night out, it is used to show her state of paranoia as she presumes an innocent runner to be the deranged stalker. The scene is set in a alley way, again being an isolated setting, showing her vulnerability. There is a lack of iconography or particular costumes/ make up; the main objective for this scene is to highlight the victims deranged mental state, this is mainly achieved by showing clearly her facial expressions. We do this through cinematography using an extreme close up and a reaction shot to clearly show her reaction to, what she thought was, the antagonist. Both these techniques elaborate on the emotions of the young girl, this is done to furthermore make the audience sympathise for her. The main feature of the clip is the cinematography used meaning there was a lack of important sound and editing features added. The sound used in the scene may include a shocking sound as the runner runs around the corner, this adds to the shock effect as we presume it to be the antagonist. In addition to this the editing may include a slower tempo to prolong the scene creating more suspense as we see our victim in such distressing emotions. The scene itself is used to highlight Brittany's paranoia and suicidal state.
The last section of the sequence is set in the main suicide scene in the park, on the bridge. It is the largest scene in the film. The scene shows the girl about to jump off the bridge, however she is saved by a passing women, this being the protagonist; the scene consists of a plot twist used to shock the audience and create an enigma as the protagonist is killed by the antagonist. The aim of this scene is to shock the audience done through the various micro elements used as the protagonist dies. Suspense is used to great effect as the antagonist slowly walks towards the victims. This is emphasised greatly through the effective use of cinematography and editing. There is an effective use of a POV camera angle to put us in the perspective of the antagonist; this is a very good way of building suspense as it means that we see something about to happen. This results in us predicting what is about to happen and therefore making us worry for the victim and creating a great amount of tension. Also adding to the suspense is the use of slow editing introduced. The tempo will be slowed down greatly, therefore prolonging the clip. This gives us more time to think about what may happen and the consequences. We therefore feel a lot of tension as we desperately want to see the outcome. Another key convention conveyed during this scene is the sense of shock. This is built through the death of our innocent protagonist. A close up camera angle will be used to highlight the reaction and emotions of the protagonist as she is stabbed. The camera will show only the women's face, focusing mainly on her facial expression. The effect this has on the audience is that we build a relationship with the lady, we feel great sympathy as we see he pain she goes through. It elaborates on the convention of shock as we didn't expect her to die. In addition to this the sound added will include bit on dialogue and mainly shocking music to add to the shocking effect. The suspense and shock within this scene ends the clip on a cliff hanger, creating an enigma and forcing the viewers to want to watch the full movie.
Although this was decided within the group as our final narrative, after watching the final cut, we realised that the plot itself was far too complex. In order to compensate for this we edited the narrative of the sequence to make it more clear to the audience...
Changes made:
1. Firstly we took out the theme of suicide and replaced it with a theme of 'female obsession'; this being made to be the new title of the sequence. It preserves the convention of a female/male antagonist and victim relationship which is an important convention within the thriller genre. We felt that the use of the theme of suicide was not realistic enough, it is unlikely that a girl being followed would want to then commit suicide. So by now showing the man as simply pursuing a girl and isolating her from her friends, the plot becomes far more clear to the audience.
2. To comply to this new change in the plot we had to cut out the scenes showing Cara as committing suicide, this was done by replacing it with shots of her friend 'Carol''. As seen in the clip she is followed by the antagonist and killed. This is so that the victim can isolate his victim 'Brittany'.
3. We also felt that the clip was too unclear. In order to emphasise the fact that the two victims of Brittany and her friend were being followed by the antagonist, we added two other scenes clearly showing Brittany and Carol being followed.
4. In addition to this, to furthermore clarify the plot we added shots showing the antagonist. This included an over the shoulder shot showing the antagonist looking at a picture of the victim.
It also included a series of shots showing the intentions of his 'female obsession' as he sets out various pictures of the girls and highlights them as targets in a distorted and unhinged way.
Although making these various changes we also kept the themes of death, a hidden identity and an enigma which are all conventional to an opening sequence to a thriller film.
