Inspiration - Miss Georgiou

Inspirations

We need a inspiration before we create our thriller sequence, it allows us to improve the effects of our  thrillers on the audience through cinematography, editing, sound etc. I have developed these inspirations by analysing various thrillers and picking out techniques used to entertain and build emotions upon the audience.

One inspiration I have found is the use of an enigma. I found this whist looking through the film 'halloween'. The film demonstrates an enigma by showing the dangerous, murderous antagonist as an innocent child. The effect this has is that it engages the audience making them ask questions, therefore engaging the viewers. By making them more involved within the clip and giving them something to think about, the audience builds relationships with the characters as we want to see what happens to them. In this specific clip we are left thinking deeply into the why the child was shown to be the murderer and the context behind it all. This will be very useful for us and can be easily incorporated into our own opening sequence. We will provide an enigma by keeping the identity of the antagonist hidden, this keeps the audience thinking and builds up a sense of mystery about who the killer is. Ways in which we will convey this hidden identity is through the use of various camera shots (POV), plus the costume and angles in which we film him from, making sure his hidden identity is emphasised. The whole sequence shall have an enigmatic theme as it is focused around the mysterious antagonist and his unknown reason behind the stalking of our victim. This enigma is vital for an opening sequence as it engages the viewer therefore wanting them to watch on. As the audience is eager to see the story unveiled suspense build, this is key to the thriller genre, it means that the audience will keenly watch on and it results in a overall more entertaining film.

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Another film I watched is the Hannibal Lector, the use of sound during this clip is very effective. The main form of sound which I found most effective was the use of parallel sound. This is where a sound represents exactly what is happening on the screen, a certain noise key to the scene may be emphasised to have a lasting effect on the reader. In this case the noise of the officers screams are built upon to show the pain and torture he is going through. It generally increases the effect of certain conventions built up within a film. In this example it is done to exaggerate the shock effect as viewers become scared and terrified of the dangerous man. This could become extremely useful in my clip as we want to build upon the twisted, deranged image of our antagonist through the emphasis on his forceful, dominant movements. Examples of this could be as the women is stabbed and footsteps as she is being pursued. The parrallel sounds will be used to great effect in the presentation of our derranged antagonist.

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In addition to this another clip I watched was from the film 'silence of the lambs'. During this clip I analysed the cinematography used. There were various examples of cinematography used throughout this clip, however the one that stood out for me was the use of an extreme close up. I thought this was very significant in highlighting the main object and events happening in the scene. In this case it highlighted the lift dial showing where the antagonist is. This was vital as they were trying to catch him. An example of which we can use it within our clip is where we highlight an object to do with the antagonist showing his menacing behaviour and the forshadowing potential death. The object highlighted would be the boot of the antagonist. The significance of this is that it emphasises the antagonists derranged movements as he follows the girl thropugh the forrest The effect it has is that it conveys a sense of suspense as the audience feel tension over the potential danger our likable, innocent victim is in.

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To conclude, I took a lot of inspirations from the various clips I have analysised. They have given me a clear idea into how we can develop an effective sequence in a professional manner, especially in trying to present the dangerous, derrangand and enigmatic antagsnist.

Group Planning - Miss Georgiou

Group Planning

My group members include Emma Allen and Cara Jackson, the group meetings we have are essential to ensure that we are communicating our ideas and getting a plan that pleases everyone. It also gives the group a clear view into how we are going to film the clip and how we will prepare ourselves. It will mean less mistakes and will mean the filming will run a lot smoother.

During our first meeting on the 13/10/14 our whole group had to decide on a group narrative. We discussed ideas and concepts which we had developed through our individual narrative. We ended up with a compromise and a final idea of all our ideas combined. This included various points from all of our individual narrative; Cara developed the idea of hidden identity which is a vital factor in our clip and builds up an enigma throughout the sequence, also Emma had the idea of a cliff hanger which furthermore adds to the creation of an enigma. I added to the final narrative by creating the central idea of a suicide, this was assential to the plot of the film as it is now what the clip shall be based upon. During this meeting we also discussed a brief outline of the charcters, the settings and the different ways in which we could present this theme of suicide.

The next thing we did is planned the cinematograohy that shall be used within the film. After getting a clear view of the plot of the film this was made a lot easier as we knew how to present each character. The camera angles used was key to this. We each had a large contribution to the cinematography used within this clip. Cara had the idea of using high and low angles to present the antagonist and the victim as being inncoent and mencing. Emma built up the idea of a reaction shot, this is used to highlight the emotions of the character, therefore building a relationship between the characters and the audience. My contribution top the cinematograohy was the use of a close up. This is done to elaborate upon significant events and items within the sequence. This helps to exaggerate the improtance of certain events.

Following this we next planned the mes en scene in the clip. This is the preparation and presentation of the setting and charcters within the film. We had plan for various different scenes with the film as it consists of many different flashbacks which are seperated into different sets. We each had an even contribution to the task as we went through the scenes one by one. The first flashback was decided to be in the victims home comforts as she gets stalked from the antagonist outside the window, next was the flasback within a forrest as she is walking back from school and finally the last flashback is shown in an alley as she is coming back from going out with her friends; this is used to show her paranoia.

Another dicussion held within the group was based on the sound used within our clip. We decided upon various different sound techniques used througout the different scenes in the film. The main, most effective examples included parallel sounds used in the second flashback, contrapundal sound used in the first flashback and various different uses of digetic and non-digectic sounds throughout the clip. The use of contrapundal sounds to create an innocent presentation of the victim was suggested by Emma, this was incorpriated straight into the sequence as it helps greatly with the relationship built between the characters and the audience. Another way of building a relationship between the antagonist and the audience is through the use of parallel sound to highlight the antagonists aggressive actions making the audience feel furthermore frightened of the stalker. Lastly there was the use of non-digetic eerie music. This was suggestic by Cara; the effect it has is that it builds suspense leading up to key events, making them more shocking.

I think group planning was a very effective process as it allows us to become more familar with each concept and how it will engage the audience. It also helps prepare us for when we are going to film, giving us more confidence towards what we are filming and why we are filming. This will also show within our sequence as you would notice that everything will now be more professional and purposeful, which will make easier for my group and our filming skills.

Individual storyboard - Miss Miller

Story boards are a key component to the planning of a film. They are used to plan out the different factors for each shot including; the cinematography, location, iconography, lighting, actors, sound, editing and narrative. It gives us a set out plan for how we are going to shoot and develop our sequence; therefore avoiding mistakes and disorganisation. The group and I are creating our individual storyboards before coming together to create a group one. This is done so that we are able to incorporate different ideas, giving us a more rounded storyboard, being the best possible outcome. It will help us greatly in the planning of the main storyboard as we will all have a clear view on the production of our clip and the set up of each shot. It results in much better communication between the group and will mean that the process will run a lot smoother.

During the clip we switch through 4 different scenes. This includes are main scene in the present tense and 3 flash back scenes shown to be in the past tense. The first shot will be in the main scene; it will show the victims state of paranoia as she is on the edge suicide. The iconography within this shot includes bricks, water and a bridge .This added to the use of low key lighting and a long shot showing the everything in the shot gives us a clear insight into what is happening and what the film is based on.Next is the 3 flash backs, a filter will be added to these to show they are from the past and to emphasise how horrible the thoughts are.
The first flashback is of the girl in her home comforts innocently watching a cartoon whilst being stalked by the antagonist. She stops the man and runs for a knife only to see him disappear. This takes up 4 of my 20 shots and will last for 50 seconds. The cinematography used within this scene is done to show the danger that our victim is in. The use of high and low angles on the characters shows the antagonist to be more menacing the victim to be vulnerable and innocent. Also hand held camera technique helps us feel the panic that the victim is expressing. It increases the surprise effect as she becomes so panicked. All this is done to make the audience sympathise for the likeable victim. The sound and iconography furthermore highlights this innocence and sympathy shown by the views as we see her in pyjamas watching a children's programme. We will also see a reaction shot of the girls terrified facial expression to emphasise the sympathy we feel for her.
The next flashback consists of the young girl walking home from school on a forest pathway. It will take only 3 shots and last for 20 seconds. During this scene we want to emphasise the menacing presence of the antagonist. This is done through both the cinematography and the sound used mainly throughout frame 7. An extreme close up is used on the boot of the antagonist and parallel sound to emphasise his vital 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 final flashback consists of the victim walking home from a night out, it is used to show her state of paranoia as she presumes a innocent runner to be the deranged stalker. This lasts for 4 shots and 20 seconds. The objective for this scene is to highlight the victims crazed emotions, this is mainly achieved by showing clearly her facial expressions in frame 12. We do this through a 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 last part of the clip is set in the main suicide scene in the park, on the bridge. It is the largest scene in the film, consisting of 8 frames and lasting 80 seconds. This is because it is the main event of the clip. 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 camera angles, iconography and editing mainly through frames 17, 18, 19 and 20 as the protagonist dies. Suspense it used to great effect as the antagonist slowly walks towards the victims. This is emphasised greatly during frame 17 through the effective use of cinematography and editing. A POV camera angle is used to put us in the perspective of the antagonist; this is a very effective 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 victims and creating a great amount of tension. The tempo of the shot also has a great effect on the suspense built. 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; mainly being shown in frames 18 & 19. 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 face, focusing mainly on her facial expressions. 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. The suspense and shock within this scene end the film on a cliff hanger, creating an enigma and forcing the viewers to want to watch the full film.

After now completing my storyboard me and my group will come together to discuss each others plan and create a final storyboard that will be vital to the production of our sequence. We will go through the plans shot by shot and come up with a compromise of 20 shots that we all agree on. My own personal storyboard went very well. There were very little mistakes and I feel that all of the preparation added will have a good effect on the clip. The only issue is the timing. The overall time of the clip was shown to be over 3 minutes; this is far over the recommended time for the sequence. I will therefore have to cut down the time of each clip so that it fits into a more respectable time frame. This has helped greatly wit the production of the clip as we now have a lot more understanding and  structure into the filming of each individual shot, meaning that we are far more prepared to compose our opening thriller sequence.

Planning Opening credits - Miss Georgiou

The purpose of opening credits is to make the audience aware of the different actors within the clip and the roles that various people have played without the making of our sequence. These roles include; the director, the production company, the lighting, editing and the acting. The credits include various fonts and effects to influence the audience, giving them an insight into what the film might be about and foreshadowing the different events that may take place. This is key to an opening sequence as it can build up suspense and mystery for the audience making them want to watch on.

This clip taken from Se7en is a typical opening sequence for a thriller. First factor that coveys this conventional thriller genre is the colours used in the clip. Firstly the colours of the white font contrasting with the dark colours of the clip shows death and the relationship between the victim and the antagonist. White represents everything good, pure and innocent; this being the likeable victim. This is juxtaposed with the darker background shown to be darker and gloomy; the darker colours being the antagonist. The fact the darker colours take up the majority of the image could represent the antagonist pursuing his victims, the majority of black colours could also show mystery and death, this creates an eerie feeling to the clip as the viewers build up suspense and tension thinking about who may die and what might happen.
Much like the use of colours, the style and font of the credits has a lasting effect upon the viewers. This font used throughout the clip is done to show the psychotic mentality of the of the antagonist. One way this is done is through the flashing font and the random layout of the words. The font is constantly jittering and moving around, this is representation of the character. The random, flashing font is used to show how twisted our antagonist is. The effect this has on the audience is that we become fearful of the man, as we are not sure what he may do. This creates an enigma as we want to see the outcomes of his psychotic behaviour. It helps us build a relationship with the characters of the clip. We see the potential dangers of the deranged man and sympathise with the innocent girl. This is highly conventional to a thriller as it builds a sense of tension and suspense when the girl is under threat.
The vital component key to this effective credit sequence is the use of various techniques used to develop the thriller conventions that show the genre and build suspense and mystery for the audience. The whole piece is created to focus upon these conventions and show to the reader that this is a typical thriller film. One of the vital conventions demonstrated in this clip is the use of an enigma. This is created in various ways through iconography, lighting, font and style of the credits. One way in which the lighting creates an enigma is by making it dark and low key. This means that we do not see a lot of the events taking place, we only see brief glimpses of the antagonists mysterious actions. This makes the audience think about what is going on in the clip. Iconography and glimpse of red colours is a way of foreshadowing death throughout the clip. The sequence shows brief images of knives, victims names and blood. Although not showing it in any detail this furthermore builds upon the enigma created throughout the clip. We begin to think about who may die and what the antagonists motives may be. It engages the viewers as we try to put together what deranged scheme the antagonist may be planning. This is key to an opening sequence as the mystery built by the enigma forces the audience to want to watch on which is the main objective for the clip.

After analysing the successful, effective credits developed for se7en my group and I have individually created credit designs of our own. I have took various techniques and factors from the credits shown in se7en to develop my own. The first factor to my credits is the font and style they are presented in. The font I have used is a bold yet jagged and irregular, rustic style. This is personified by our antagonist. He is made out to be a large physically built, powerful man. This is represented by the brick-like structure of the font; it presents a strong dangerous character within the film. In addition to this the rustic, jagged look to the font is used to show the deranged, crazed mentality of the antagonist. All this is used to build a relationship with the character; we feel frightened of him and it creates tension as we think about what he may do within the film.
Also, another component that is important to the clip is the colours used. The credits will be a white colour, contrasted with the dark filters used on the clip. This makes the wording stand out so that the audience will focus upon them. It highlights their importance and engages the viewers. The white and black colours also, furthermore, foreshadows the two main characters of the film and there innocent plus deranged intensions. White represents everything good, pure and virtuous; this being the favourable victim. This is juxtaposed with the darker background shown to be dim and murky; the darker colours being the frightening antagonist. The fact the darker colours take up the majority of the image could represent the antagonist pursuing his victim and taking control of her life, the majority of black colours could also show mystery and death, this creates an eerie feeling to the clip as the viewers build up tension thinking about who may die and what might happen.
The last element of my credits is the positioning and layout in which they will appear. They will appear to be random throughout the clip. This is done to give a slight clue and insight into the plot of the film. The random positioning of the credits makes the film seem crazy and deranged. This is foreshadowing the events of the clip with the psychopathic antagonist and the plot twist near the end. The effect this has is that it builds up an enigma as we think deeply about what weird and manic events may take place within the clip. It engages the viewer and forces them to want to watch on. In addition to this the size of the font will differ depending on the credit itself; more important and relevant names will be bigger and therefore clearer to the audience. This furthermore engages the viewer and highlights important information such as the title and key actors. It advertises the film additionally making people want to watch on and discover how good the movie is.

After each developing our own unique credits, my group and I put our ideas together to discuss our final credit design. My first input to the group discussion was the use of my bold, strong, rustic font used to personify the powerful, deranged antagonist. Cara and Emma both felt this was a good, effective idea and we included it in the final design. With font and style being a key factor to the credits I felt that this went very well. We saw clearly that this idea of an enigma should run throughout the credits as well as the sequence itself and found it easy to choose the font as this easily incorporated this idea by giving the audience an insight into what the antagonist may be like, and building suspense as we become frightened of him.
Another way that we have elaborated on this idea of an enigma is through the layout and presentation of the credits. Much like my individual credits we have done this by giving the viewer a clue and an insight into the twisted, terrifying plot of our film; however Cara and Emma had a large input on this factor. Firstly we have decided upon setting the credits in a random layout, appearing all around the screen. This was recommended by me and is done to show the twist of the plot and the twisted idea of death and stalking. Secondly, the words themselves will be presented as flashing and jittering throughout the sequence. This is personified by the antagonist and his deranged mentality making him terrifying and unpredictable. It forebodes his twisted ideas as he stalks the young girl, forcing her into a suicidal state of paranoia. This idea was developed by Cara and was instantly recognised as an effective way for giving the viewer an insight into the scary plot of the film. The final input to the presentation of the credits was made by Emma; this was the blur effect added into the transition between credits. This gives an eerie sense to the white, glowing words; it could forebode the frightening plot and the death within the film. This builds tension and suspense for the audience as they feel scared about the prospect of watching the scary film. All of these factors creates an enigma for the audience as we think about the outcome of the death and stalking enforced by our deluded, menacing antagonist.
In addition to this another key component discussed between the group was the use of colours within the sequence. We all used the contrast of glowing white contrast on darker, black background. After each of us including these simple, yet effective, colours in our individual credit designs it was key that this was included in our final design. The effect these white and black colours have is that it foreshadows the relationship between our antagonist and our victim. The white representing innocence; being the victim and the black showing evil and death being the antagonist. The overpowering darker colours juxtaposed the little white in the sequence could show the victim in danger and the over powering forcefulness of the antagonist. It foreshadows terror created by the antagonist and furthermore builds upon the enigma as we think about the outcome of the frightening plot.
To conclude, the communications with the group was very successful as we ended up with a clear plan of our final credits that have been designed to be very effective for the viewer. I contributed greatly to the final design, with many of my ideas and techniques seen to be very effective by the group. This gives evidence of my efficient, successful planning and research into the creation of our credits.

 

Planning characters - Miss Miller

The presentation of characters is vital during this clip, by doing this we can build a relationship between the audience and the characters. For example we will sympathise for the victim, the protagonist becomes a likeable character and we get frightened and scared of the antagonist. These relationships will build up suspense and tension as our protagonist and victim is under treat and danger.

The main character of which this clip is based upon is Brittany, she is our victim and is 15 years old. Brittany is a conventional victim for a thriller; she is a young female student, blond, pretty and unaware of what is happening. The fact she is young makes her seem inexperienced and unaware of life's dangers, the fact she is a student emphasises this. This is also presented to be dressed up in light colours, showing a happy life. Plus the fact she is pretty and always smiling amplifies the fact that that she has a good life and a lot to live for. All of this makes her seem vulnerable and innocent. This helps the audience build a relationship with the character as they sympathise for her due to the dangers of our stalker. Being a pretty blond female victim she is very conventional to a thriller, these types of victims have been shown throughout the history of thriller films. They bode well as we see them as likable and vulnerable to a powerful male antagonist.

Another character playing a key role throughout the clip is Steve, he is our antagonist and is older than Brittany at 19 years old. Much like Brittany he is a very conventional antagonist for the thriller genre; he is tall and menacing, is background is kept secretive making him seem unpredictable, he is also male, much like the stereotypical antagonist. This is all done to make him seem powerful, twisted and unpredictable, showing the man to be very dangerous. Throughout the film we show him to be tall and physically strong; this makes him seem powerful, showing how he could be dangerous to the victim. He is also shown to be mentally unstable by showing him as a deranged stalker, following her every move. The key factor to this character is the hidden identity. We never know who he is, his background or what he looks like. This creates an enigma. The effect this has is that it involves the viewer, keeping them engaged so that they are keen to see the outcome of the story. It builds up suspense and can even make the antagonist seem more terrifying and unstable as we don't know what he is capable of. The overall presentation of this character is done so that we see him as being deranged, therefore making the audience frightful of him; plus developing the sympathising relationship between the audience and the victim.

Also a character only being seen for a short period of time, yet being an important character in the development of the plot is Carol. She is the innocent bystander that is made out to be our protagonist as she saves Brittany from committing suicide. She is sown is be a older, wiser, sisterly like figure. She is a kind character who as presented being always smiling and wearing comforting clothes. Due to this we instantly like her and support her. This relationship built has a great effect on the viewers. We feel attached to her and her kindness and she sets a sense of calmness through her presence. The fact she dies so quickly is a great shock to the audience. They are engaged by this  and worried about the innocent vulnerable girl. The audience is left at the edge of their seats as the clip ends forcing them to want to watch on.

planning editing styles - Miss Georgiou

Intro - Editing is essential for a thriller film as it means that they can cut out certain bits and pieces to build suspense, surprise and jump moments which are key for a thriller. This can be done through various techniques and can have a lasting effect on the audience.

One technique used in this clip is a reaction shot. This will be used throughout the clip in every scene to show the emotions of our victim or protagonist and to highlight their facial features. It is going to mostly show the anxiety and fear of the victim, by doing this we will force our audience to sympathise with the character, emphasising her terror and allowing a relationship to build between the her and the audience. A prime example shown during the clip is demonstrated specifically during the main scene as the protagonists facial features are highlighted to show the reaction she has to her painful death. We will do this by showing a close up of the facial features the protagonist displays. The effect this has on the audience is that we develop a relationship with the character, feeling great sympathy for her and wanting her to survive. This builds up suspense and tension for the audience as she is in danger.

Next we used the timing of shots to different effects. This includes slow and fast editing used to create shock, suspense and surprise. This will be used in various examples through the clip however a specific example is demonstrated in the first flashback scene as the victim spots the antagonist for the first time during the short clip. As she is sat comfortably watching her cartoon film the tempo of the shots are very slow. This is done to show the calmness of the start of the scene. However it is also done whilst showing the antagonist, by doing this we prolong this part of the scene. As we see the set up of the man stalking the girl we feel sympathy of the innocent victim as she is in trouble. This prolonged shot builds up suspense for the viewers as we feel scared of what could happen and we want to find out the outcome.
As she spots the antagonist outside the window she begins to panic and runs to the kitchen for a knife. This chaos and panic is conveyed by the speeding up of the tempo for the clip. This is juxtaposed with the calm slow tempo shown before to emphasise her shock and terror at the presence of the antagonist. The effect this has on the viewer is that we feel furthermore shocked by the sudden appearance of the stalker and the effect he has on the young girl. This sense of shock is key to a thriller as it is one of the main conventions involved when producing a successful piece of work. It builds a relationship between the victim and the audience as we feel her panic due to the sudden chaos conveyed by the quick tempo editing.

Another from of editing used to have lasting effect on the audience throughout the clip is the use of filters. This will be included throughout the clip to produce different emotions for the viewers. One example of this is during the flashbacks. Firstly we will make sure that the flash backs are seen in a colours showing it to be old memories, or simply just another colour to the present day. By doing this we are emphasising how this mental torture and stalking has been going on for a long time, expressing the paranoia and anxiety that she must have been going through. The effect this has is that we feel more sympathy for the girl, creating an attachment between the girl and the audience, therefore building up suspense as we want to see the film and find out the outcome of what happens to her. Also the colours of the filters will be a dark an gloomy. This could be done to represent death, therefore foreshadowing future events; this being the death of our protagonist. The effect this has on the audience is that we feel suspense building up to a gloomy death, it shows something bad about to happen and we fee tension towards finding out what this is. This is very conventional to a thriller as suspense is crucial into creating a entertaining thriller.

Planning sound - Miss Miller

Sound within films is very important as it highlights emotions that the characters are feeling and elaborates on actions taking place. It is generally used to create the key conventions of shock, suspense and surprise. Planning is required to make our thriller as best as possible as the whole group can input their ideas and thoughts giving us a more rounded view on the sound used in our clip; therefore allowing us to create a more effective use of sound.

The first form of sound we will include is parallel sound. This means that we hear a sound which is expected of the action taking place, however the sound can be emphasised to highlight the important event. One example of when this will be used is when our innocent protagonist is stabbed. The noise of the stabbing will be exaggerated and emphasise so that it becomes more realistic for the audience. It highlights the death of the protagonist as a vital moment of the sequence, therefore engaging the audience and bringing their focus to the events that may take place. The emphasised knife sound highlights the painful sharpness of the stabbing. By doing this we are increasing the shock effect inflicted upon the reader. The kind, sweet, likeable character juxtaposed with the violent, painful emphasised stabbing elaborates the shock and sadness that the reader feels as she is killed. By doing this we feel more sympathy towards the victim as we see her in danger and more hatred towards the killer; this creates a more engaging thriller for the audience as relationships are built between the viewers and the characters. The parallel sounds makes this clip even more conventional as it portrays the sense of shock, key to a successful thriller.

Secondly we will use diegetic music to great effect. This we hear noises shown on the screen, it can be done to simply show the events taking place in the film, or to highlight what could happen such as dangerous or happy moments. One scene in which this will be used crucially is the second flashback as the victim is walking home from school in a forest walk way. The antagonist will be following her and the viewers will clearly hear the noise of a twig crunch as he walks over it. The reason this is done is to show the eerie presence of the frightening antagonist. It shows that he really is stalking her, and we become even more fearful of the man. It puts us in the victims position as she ears someone following her. This conveys the various senses and emotions conventional to a thriller. It builds a sense of surprise as we see that the antagonist could be anywhere at any time, this engages the audience. It creates a sense of suspense as we now want to see what the man is going to do next, we become fearful of hm. It also builds a sense of mystery and an enigma as we think about what he is doing there and what he is capable of, this furthermore engages the viewers. In addition to this we build relationships between the two characters and the viewers through this sound technique. The audience becomes scared of the lurking antagonist, we see him as a great threat to the girl and we begin to think about how dangerous he might be. This results in the audience becoming very fearful for the girl, we sympathise for the innocent child as we see se is under a great threat.

Opposite to the use on diegetic and off-screen sound we will also include examples on non-diegetic and on-screen sound. This is sound not seen in the image on the clip however heard clearly by the audience, highlighting what may be happening soon and foreshadowing events about to happen. A prime example of this is shown in the last flashback of the clip as a runner, presumed to be the antagonist, runs past our victim. The footsteps of the runner is clearly emphasised building up as he springs upon the victim. The main effect of this is that it builds suspense for the viewers. With the frightened facial expressions of the victim, juxtaposed with the footsteps growing louder, we feel that she is in danger and we build up suspense as we sympathise for the likeable character. Suspense is highly conventional to the thriller genre as it engages the audience, increasing the shock effect and producing an overall more entertaining watch. This sound technique also helps in developing an enigma for the viewers. The emphasised steps really makes us feel that she is under threat, as we see that it is only a simple runner we begin to think about why she is becoming so paranoid. This is key to our clip as it engages the audience and builds up a relationship between them and the victim.

Lastly, one of the very effective sound techniques seen in the clip is the use of contrapuntal sounds. This is sounds that are opposite to the action on the screen, it often juxtaposes with the events taking place having a lasting effect on the viewer. A key example of this is shown in the first flash back. The girl is sat calmly watching TV in her own home comforts seen to be under no danger whatsoever. The noise of the TV elaborates this calm setting as it is the noise of an innocent child cartoon. This is done to calm the audience as they see the child's film as a soothing, comforting sound. By juxtaposing this with the dangerous, chaotic scene, we increase the shock effect of the clip. By creating a calm, innocent scene through the use of the cartoon film we can develop more of a shock as we suddenly see the antagonist and as the action and panic takes place. This is very conventional to a thriller as the shock effect is  key emotion develop throughout the genre. In addition to this the sound used here furthermore builds upon the relationship created between the audience and the victim. The fun, youthful cartoon film emphasises to our viewers how young, vulnerable and innocent she is. By doing this they develop sympathy towards the character, seeing her in trouble and wanting her to come out alright. The effect of this is that the viewers support the girl and feel more involved in the storyline building, therefore engaging the audience creating a more captivating sequence.

Planning cinematography - Miss Miller

High & low angle

This will be used throughout the clip, mainly on the victim and the antagonist. A low angle will be used on the antagonist in most scenes. One clear example of this will be seen in the first flash back; the antagonist is shown from a low angle outside our victims window. This makes the antagonist seem more menacing o our audience as though he is towering over them. It shows how he has control and is powerful. The effect this has on the audience is that we feel scared of the antagonist, he seems dangerous to us, this conveys a sense of suspense and tension as our innocent victim is in a dangerous situation. To a contrasting effect we will also use a low angle on our victim. Likewise, this will be done throughout most scenes. In the first flash back, much like the low angle, we will also see this used to great effect. The victim will be seen at a high angle during the majority of the clip. This shows her to be smaller and vulnerable as though the audience are looming over her, emphasising her innocence. The effect this has on the audience is that it builds upon our sympathy felt towards the character as we develop a likeable relationship with her. It also shows her in danger, foreshadowing what could happen. Overall, the juxtaposition of the two angle creates tension for the reader as we see the innocent victim under a threat of the menacing antagonist.

Panning

This will be shown in the third flash back as the camera follows the runner, presumed to be the antagonist, moving past our victim. This means that the camera will remain still on the tripod whilst following the fast moving character. It means that the character is focused upon, clarifying his importance during this scene. By using this technique we are clearly showing the runner as being an innocent bystander. This confuses the audience, creating an enigma as they ask why the girl was so terrified. It emphasises how paranoid she is, elaborating on the dangerous situation. The effect this has is that we are surprised from how irrational she is reacting to the stalker. This element of surprise is conventional to a thriller as it engages the viewers.

Extreme close up

This is displayed during the second flash back as we close up on the boot of our antagonist when the girl is walking home from school. This means that the camera will focus on the boot for a short period of time, showing no background and noting else but the boot itself. This highlights the eerie presence of the antagonist. By doing this it subtly shows how deranged the man is as he is following her everywhere. By not showing anything else during this shot we see how this eerie presence is the focal point of the scene, it emphasises how dangerous he is and we become furthermore frightful of the man. The effect this has on the viewers is that the shock element is conveyed as we realise how dangerous the man is, we feel tension as we see the girl under threat and we sympathise for her. It also exaggerates the hidden identity as we see nothing about the man, no clues or hints into what he looks like or even his physical features. This adds to the enigma of who he is and builds suspense as we want to see the reasons behind his stalking. Overall it again creates a relationship between our antagonist and our audience as they become frightful of the deranged, dangerous man.

Shallow focus

This will be used in the last flash back showing the girls facial features as she becomes fearful and paranoid of everything and everyone. It means that the background and everything in the image is out of focus apart from the face of the victim. It is done so that we highlight her sad paranoid, expression. By doing this we emphasise the how she is slowly becoming deranged by the stalker and we sympathy for her furthermore. This is a key technique in the development of a relationship evolving between the viewers and the victim, by focusing totally on the girl we start to feel her fear and we begin to really worry about her. This creates tension for the audience as we feel she is in danger and want to see her come out unharmed.

Hand held

This will be demonstrated clearly in the first flash back, as the girl spots the antagonist outside of the window, she quickly rises and runs to the kitchen, the overall pace of the clip quickly increases and we switch to a hand held camera. This means that we will hold the camera following the character too and from the kitchen. The effect of this is that it highlights the panic of the situation; the sudden movement of the camera creates a sense of chaos for the audience. This emphasises the feeling of fear and suspense as the viewer is keen to find out what happens to the girl and the outcome of the sudden panic. By creating chaos and panic it elaborates the danger of our antagonist and the importance of the situation. It is conventional as it builds upon the key sense of shock, vital to the thriller genre.

Planning Mise en scene - Miss Georgiou

Intro-

Main scene - The main scene is set on a isolated bridge in a dark public park, later at night. This scene will be shown throughout the whole clip, it is the focus point of her ready to commit her suicide. The fact it is isolated and at night creates vulnerability for the victim and we feel sympathy for her as we want her to survive. This is conventional to a thriller as the sympathy emphasises the fear we feel for the victim and the suspense as she is under threat. There is various iconography used throughout this clip, the main thing being the knife used as a murder weapon. The knife is an orthodox murder weapon used in most thrillers. It shows gore and blood increasing the shock for the viewers. It represents death and foreshadows events about to happen, furthermore creating suspense for our audience. The lighting and colour in this science will be very dark through the use of low key lighting. One effect this has is that it shows night, making the victim more isolated and vulnerable. By doing this we feel more sympathy for her and tension builds as she is in danger. Also the darkness means that less is visible to the audience. The effect of this is that we can inflict the sense of shock more efficiently, easily scaring the audience. In addition to this the dark colours can represent death, this is foreshadowing the events about to take place creating suspense for our audience. The victim in this scene will be positioned at the edge of the bridge. She will have scared, innocent, paranoid facial expressions and will be dressed on bright colours with typical clothes for a young teenage girl. The positioning of the victim shows her about to jump off the bridge and die, by doing this we instantly engage the audience as they want to see our likeable victim survive. The facial expressions shown by her elaborates her innocence and her vulnerability. It again makes the audience feel sympathetic towards her; this sympathy is built upon through the clothes she wears showing her youth and innocence. Overall the presentation of our victim is made out so that the audience can build a close relationship with the young girl. The effect this has is that we become desperate to see her survive therefore increasing the conventional shock, surprise and suspense emotions inflicted upon the viewers. Although we only see the antagonist for a small period of time during the scene, is dressed in a dark hoody, breathing heavily. The dark hoodie keeps up with the hidden identity of the antagonist furthermore elaborating upon the enigma, it builds a sense of mystery and keeps the audience engaged, creating suspense as we want to see the antagonist revealed. The deep breathing no is the antagonist to be psychotic. This makes the audience fearful of the antagonist, developing a sense of fear and tension.

Flashbacks:

• The first flashback shown is our victims house. Britany (our victim) is sat inside the house comfortably watching TV. There is various iconography included in this scene such as the TV, a blanket, lots of pillows and various other home comforts, plus the knife. The house shows safety for the girl and we feel reassured by the home comforts, this is juxtaposed with the eerie presence of the antagonist and the iconography of the knife to inflict fear and shock upon the audience. In this scene the victim will be wearing comfy and light coloured pyjamas. She will be positioned laying on the sofa in a casual way unaware of the antagonist. The facial expression shown will be happy and innocent, laughing at the light hearted film on the TV. However this will change as she spots the antagonist out of the window. Her face will transform into a wide-eyed, terrified look and her positioning will be stood up in the middle of the room, with a very rigid stance showing her fear and terror. The innocent, comforting presentation juxtaposed with the panic and terror stricken facial expressions has a lasting shock effect on the audience. They feel reassured by the home comforts emphasised and by quickly contrasting this with the panic shown through our victim we convey a sense of shock through the frightening presence of the antagonist. Also the light coloured clothing is used to emphasise her youth and innocence adding to the viewers sympathy. The antagonist is positioned outside the window to show his psychotic behaviour. We will carry on with his hidden identity through the use of a dark hood.
• Secondly with have a scene located in a forrest on the way home from school, this is again a isolated setting, however being in mid day we feel she isn't under as much threat. Much like the previous scene this juxtaposition of the eerie antagonist and the friendly natural setting creates even more fear for us as she isn't safe anywhere. The iconography involved in this scene includes the boot of the antagonist and the bushes and trees. The bush and trees shows how she is out in the middle of nowhere without witnesses, it emphasises her vulnerability forcing us to sympathise for her. Also the boot sutterly shows the presence of the antagonist, this inflicts fear  and tension on the audience as we are fright fall of the man. It also exaggerates the enigma as we want to know who he is. The victim will be dressed in a school uniform and will have the calm innocent expression used in the previous scene. The effect of the school uniform is that it emphasises her youth and vulnerability. By doing this it builds tension as we see her under threat. It furthermore builds a relationship between us and the character.  
• The last scene shown in the sequence is set in the dark isolated alleyway. Although not including the antagonist the scene is used to show our victims state of paranoia. The scene is made to seem isolated, scary and dangerous. Much like the main scene the alleyway is isolated as she is made to be very vulnerable. With a lack of witnesses we see her in danger and suspense is built. There is not a lot of iconography in this short scene, however a lot can be seen on the runner who is made out to be the antagonist. Firstly he is hooded, like our antagonist throughout the clip, however he is also seen using headphones. The hood shocks our audience engaging them as they think the antagonist is there and our victim is under threat, however the headphones brings us back to reality as we realise he is nothing but just a runner. The effect this has is that the audience is surprised by the small plot change which is ver conventional to a thriller. During this scene we do not see the antagonist, instead we are only sown the paranoia of our victim. She is dressed up in this scene in teenage clothing. The facial expressions she shows are constantly frightened and edgy. This shows us that she is in danger as suspense is built leading up to the entrance of the runner. The runner will be dressed in bright colours and we will not see his face. The bright colours will be used to show that he is not dangerous or harmful. The effect of this is that it emphasises the paranoia of the girl as she even terrified of an innocent runner.

Preliminary task - Miss Miller

Members of group: Cara Jackson, Emma Allen

*Video needed!

The purpose of this task is to get a taster in editing and cinematography, this would prove greatly beneficial to us when it comes to making our films as we found out the basics of how the equipment and the editing tool worked. I filmed a conversation between two people, talking about a certain person. After filming there were various mistakes and outtakes during the sequence. We had to use the editing tool to take scenes out and rearrange them into a clip that worked.

We had to use various camera angles and shots when filming this to demonstrate the different techniques. One of these was a long shot; we did this by moving further away from the two character and zooming out to include the whole of the scene in the shot, it is used as an establishing shot to show the audience what is happening in the clip. Next we included a reaction shot clearly emphasising the distress one of the characters was going through, this was done by zooming in on one of the characters to show her facial features, it is mainly used to build a relationship with the audience and the character as we feel sympathy for the girl. Also we included an over the shoulder shot, much like a reaction shot this shows the facial expressions of the characters, it is often used during a conversation. This was done by placing the camera slightly above a characters shoulder and switching from each side of the conversation as the other person speaks, engaging the viewers and making them feel more involved in the conversation. We performed these shots correctly, making sure they were used throughout the clip. The inclusion of the required shots were the successes seen from the filming of the clip, showing how we did grasp the concept of the filming and the use of the equipment. It demonstrates the learning process of the task.

Although the final product was a success, including every shot needed was included. We also made many mistakes through disorganisation and confusion over the use of equipment. The first obstacle we came across was the focusing on the camera. We found it hard to change the focus as the characters were filmed at different distances from the camera. This meant that various shots were blurry and we were forced to redo them. It resulted in a prolonging to the filming, adding to the lack of efficiency. However this was soon solved and towards the end of filming it ran a lot smoother and quicker. Another problem we came across with the handling of the equipment was the zooming in. We took a long time to find out where the zooming in button was; therefore also prolonging the filming. Also we found it hard to use the zooming in on the button as we kept zooming too fast and not smooth enough. This was shown through the unsuccessful reaction shot which I would have preferred to have been a smooth zooming in, clearly showing Cara's facial features. In addition to this, the most vital obstacle we came across was the stability of the camera. We struggled to secure the camera and the tripod; this result in the camera moving a lot through each shot. It added to the lack of efficiency throughout the filming. More importantly it meant that our filming in the clip was not smooth at all, it was very jagged. This was not suitable to the quiet, calm conversation taking place within the clip and added to the lack of professionalism throughout the clip. There was many ways we could have filmed it better. We could have set up a structure and a plan into how the clip would pan out, this would have made the film run a lot smoother without the various redo's needed. We may have also focused on making the camera more solid so that it did not move as much like it did at the start of the clip. I would make sure to apply these improvements to my opening sequence, keeping the camera more secure and making a more detailed plan.

Overall, this task gave me an insight into the use of the cameras and the tripod, showing me how they work and how to edit the filming into a suitable sequence. This will prove to be greatly beneficial to the development of my opening sequence as the mistakes and successes of the video will provide me with more experience when handling the cameras, the tripod and using the editing tools. The main thing I will take from this task is the preparation before filming, things must be correctly planned and prepared correctly, including the shots, the storyline and the camera itself.

Research into target audience - Miss Mller

We carried out this research to develop an idea of our target audience and their views on thriller films. From these questions we are able to uncover the opinions of the people who may be viewing this sequence. And by discovering their answers I can build a rough idea on what aspects of a thriller we should elaborate upon to make our clip as effective as possible. We asked a wide variety of 40 people to cover a large amount of views and opinions so we could get more assessed and reliable answers. We could then use these answers to make a more informed judgment call on the potential elements and ideas that could be included in our opening thriller sequence.

Questionnaire

1.How old are you?

2.what gender are you?

3.Do you enjoy thrillers?

4.What is your favourite element of a thriller?

For instance death, suspense, tension, shock, surprise, chase scenes, weapons and why?

 5. What type of thriller do you like?

Action, murder, stalking, psychological and why?

 6. What type of setting do you like/ prefer?

 7.Do you prefer thrillers which are relatable to your age group?

8. Do you think background music makes a thriller film more effective?

9. What type of weapons do you prefer?

E.g knife, gun, strength of the antagonist, or other.

 10. Do you like the effects of having a hidden identity within a thriller film?

Vox Pops

*Video's needed!

These videos were used to show more detail into the answers of my participants and there reactions to the various questions. It was very useful into showing answers for the more detailed and opinionative, open questions. It also added the reactions of people as they answer, emphasising what the target audience might understand and how deeply people are effected by various conventions of the thriller genre. Mainly ,however, it shows evidence of the interview style questioning used. 

 

Results :  

By asking people their age we can gather an idea of the audience we want to target. For example, if the majority of people who enjoy thrillers were under the age of 18 then we would create a clip attracting this age group. Therefore making the sequence more effective to the audience.

 

 

By finding out the gender of our potential audience we can discover what gender our story appeals to. This would therefore give us a clear view into what target audience we are trying to attract. Much like the question on age it furthermore gives an understanding in the audience we are targeting.   

This gives us a general insight into the type of people who want to watch thriller films and who are keen on experiencing their unique conventions. By looking at the type of people who said 'yes' and their age plus gender we can develop a more straightforward view at who the target audience we are aiming this thriller at.

This is not a question particularly referring to the target audience it is more a general question used to show an overall perception of what are of a thriller people find more effective during a thriller. We can then build upon this element or convention to make the clip more effective. The results show that death is the most excitable and engaging part of a thriller film. We can now develop this part of the film, focusing on it and building up the suspense and tension around it, therefore creating a more effective appealing thriller.

This question also gives us an idea into how we can create a more effective thriller sequence, appealing greatly to the target audience. By asking for peoples preferred setting in a thriller we can see what setting may be best at building up the conventions of a thriller. The majority of people chose an 'isolated' setting as their more preferred setting. Reasons for this could be because an isolated setting shows the victim as being more vulnerable increasing the fear factor and the suspense as we want to see them survive. From this we may now use an isolated setting to present our suicide victim as looking more vulnerable and innocent to the audience. By doing this we can increase the suspense and tension as we see her in danger.

 

 This question was created solely on developing our target audience. By asking this we can build an idea of the age group we are going to target. The majority of people answered 'yes'. This means that we will try to create the clip based on the age group of the target audience. The effect this might have is that it means the audience can build a closer relationship with the characters, especially the victim, it therefore emphasises the effect of the typical conventions such as shock, surprise and suspense.

 

This questions helps greatly with the sound aspect of the film. It shows us how effective off screen music really is. Most people aid they were against background music, stating it has little effect. After looking at these results we may now cut down on the amount of background music used in this thriller. This could include using silence or the emphasis of diegetic sounds to build suspense and tension.

Death is a key convention in a thriller film. The murder weapon can interpret the type of death seen. The majority of people chose a knife as the favoured weapon used. From these results I will include a stabbing as the form of murder when the friendly, helpful protagonist is murdered. The knife used is a form of iconography. This can have a great effect on the audience. The knife results in a gory, painful death. This can exaggerate the hock convention, key to a successful thriller.

 

An idea we have developed for our thriller clip is the use of hidden identity for the antagonist. This was a key question for this research as we were keen on seeing the thoughts of the viewers and the opinion on its effect. The majority of people said that they appreciated the effect of a hidden identity. This will now have a great influence in the use of it in our clip. We will not see the identity of the antagonist throughout the film. This is one of the most effective ways of creating suspense and mystery during the clip, both key to a thriller, keeping the viewers engaged and entertained. It also builds up an enigma, this being atypical convention used in a thriller. Our clip will be based on this use of an enigma as we leave the audience asking questions throughout the sequence.

To conclude, there were various aspects discussed within the questionnaire that could prove to be useful for making my clip. One being the convention of death; the people I asked favoured this as the best part of  a thriller film. Now I know this I can incorporate it within my sequence by focusing more on the deaths that occur such as the death of our protagonist and the potential death of the victim. Furthermore the majority of people said a isolated setting is more effective in a thriller, this could be used by making sure the victim is often alone when vulnerable. I can also include the idea of setting the film on the idea of a relatable age group to the target audience, this was favoured in one of my questions.
In addition to this a knife was said to be the best murder weapon, meaning it is a great way to inflict shock upon the audience. Also we found out that off screen sound effects is not found to be effective when building suspense. This could result in is cutting down on the amount of off screen sound used and applying suspense through the effective use of silence; we may also use a knife as the antagonists murder weapon to create a larger sense of shock for the viewers. Most importantly the use of hidden identity was greatly favoured by the people asked. This element was key to my partners and I as we were keen on the idea and its effect of building a great amount of suspense. The fact that the target audience were also keen on the idea is very pleasing to us as we can now use it to great effect. The hidden identity of our antagonist should build up an enigma which keeps the viewers engaged, this is key to a opening sequence.