Risk Assessment - Miss Georgiou

Risk assessment 

Why is is important to consider risks before filming? 

It is important to consider risks before filming so that we can prevent any serious injury's from taking place and to advise the filming crew so they can insure they are aware to avoid a injury from occurring. 

How will the risk assessment assist you with filming?

The risk assessments will assist us with filming as we can be aware of the places we can and cannot film so we can make different arrangements. Also as we will have to check before we start to film.

Opening Scenaration - Miss Miller

Our first slide has a duration of 6 seconds. It is a panning shot of the setting which is an industrial park. It shows low key lighting which is conventional to the thriller genre as it builds suspense. We used a straight cut to go onto the next scene. Our next frame lasts 4 and is a long shot of the blonde actress. We also use low key lighting again and the actress used in the frame is Hannah. We use the non diegetic sound of a soundtrack in this clip as it is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to build suspese and to foreshadow something bad is going to happen. We also use the parralell sound of wind so the audience can relate to everyday life which makes it more realistic for them which will lead to the audience being more frightened as it could happen to them. We use a straight cut to change into the next frame. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it causes a jumpy effect from frame to frame which can frighten  the audience which is the main purpose of the genre. Our next frame is a close up of Hannahs face, this camera shot is conventional to the thriller genre as we can closely see the emotions show on the characters face which will help them build a relationship, In our thriller the audience will begin to feel sorry for Hannah as we see her sad and crying. While we see the close up of Hannah we have the parralel sound of rain and wind to link the film to a real life situation. Our next frame is a Point of view/handheld camera this is convention to the thriller genre as it shows the audience the characters perspective which will help build a relationship with the characters as they experience whatever motions they do.

Our following frame is a handheld camera we use a handheld camera facing the femle at eyelevel. We use this as it creates a jerky, uneasy effect. Also as the camera is at eyelevel we see a full face of Hannah. This means we can see her emotionals which is conventional to the thriller genre as it builds a relationship with the characters and the audience as they sense their emotions in this case it will show the female actresses fear. We go onto the next clip by using a straight cut and this clip is a long shot of Hannah when she is walking in the industrial park.

Filming schedule - Miss Georgiou

Filming schedule 

Why is it important to have a filming schedule?

It is important to have a filming schedule to make everything run efficiently and smoothly. Also as we all know what we will be doing next and which camera angles and scenes we are filming next. 

Did you follow the filming schedule or did you make any changes?

We partly used the filming schedule as it changed when we was their due to location and the different camera angles we used to make our thriller opening better quality. 

Planning Opening Credits - Miss Georgiou

Credits are important as they allow the audience to get an idea about what the narrative is about. They also acknowledge the audience about what actors and actresses are in the film, who the directors are, and who the production company is. It also prepares the audience for the style of film they are about to watch.

Opening credits on se7en

Colours - The colours used in the opening credits are all very plain and mainly dark. Colours used such as black, brown and grey. This could portray a thought of darkness to the audience which could reflect the character in this film as dark and evil. Also the writing which tells us the characters and production company is written in white font and is displayed on top of a black background. The colours black and white contrast each other which could reflect the two characters in the film, one good and one bad. This is as white portrays innocent and black the opposite of darkness and malevolence. This is conventional to the thriller genre as there is always a good person which is a victim and there is always a evil murderer.

The style of the credits - The style of the credits are written in messy handwriting and are very jerky. The credits also flash up and down and look smudged. This portrays a frightening effect which could suggest that the man who is writing this has an uneasy life. The use of the smudging of the words could be a form of foreboding of death in the film as it could show smudged blood. This is conventional to a thriller as they as very jump like the flashing of the writing, also the handwriting that could suggest blood shows death which is a main element to the thriller genre.

The use of thriller conventions- The use of thriller conventions used in the opening scene of Se7en include a hidden identity. This is through the whole opening credits as we only see his hands. This creates a sense of enigma as we do not know who the character is or what he is doing. This leads to the audience wanted to know more meaning they will continue to watch the film. Other conventions include low key lighting this acknowleges the audience staight away what genre film they are watching and creates tension by the dark scene which is ususally associated with fear.

The order of apperence in the opening credits of Se7en begin with the production company which states that it was produced my new line cinema. We are then told who the director of the film is who is Arnold Kopelson and devid Fincher. We are next told one of the main actors in the film which is Bradd Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Next we are told the titlen of the film se7en. More actors are then shown for around a minue then we are told who casted the film. Next they tell us who the music was produced by and who the costumes were made by and who edited the film. Lastly we are told the director of photography, the co producers, the co executive producers, the exective produers, who the film was written by and Once again who the film was produced by.

Order of AppearanceProduction Company - Tiger Blood Productions
Name of the Director - Harry Hyett
Name of the Film - Relinquish
Actors Names - Hannah Mahoney, Luke Durrance
Casting - Harry Hyett
Music - Joshua Lester, Luke Durrance
Costume - Hannah Mahoney
Editors - Harry Hyett, Luke Durrance
Production - Tiger Blood Productions
Camera Operation - Joshua Lester
Co - Producer - Luke Durrance
Director - Harry Hyett
Title of Film Relinquish

Production Roles - Miss Miller

People need to be allocated specific roles when creating a film as the film will be produced to a better standard as each person will have a speciality which they will be doing. Thefore the quality of the film will be at a better standard as each person will be be concentrating on one specific part of the film instead of manner. It will also be created at a faster pace as you have more people who will be contributing to the final piece and will be specifically focusing on that certain aspect to make your film as good and quickly produced as possible.

Examples of production roles:

Producers - Producers of a film will prepare the film and supervise the making of it before presenting the final peice to the film distributor. They would rather be employed by a film studio or they would be independant. This role is imporant as they help to create the film and to keep it in order so that everything goes to plan.

Directors - A film director is the person who directs the making of the film. Directors create an overall vision of what the film will be and helps to keep everything in order my directing the actors, directors of photography etc. A director is a cruical link between the production, technical and creative teams. A director is responsible for translating and altering the written script into actual images and sounds. A directors main jobs include casting, script editing, shot composition, shot selection and editing. Directors are an imporant aspect to film making as they direct everyone what to do and create the visual image of what the film would look like. Without a director it would be very unorganised.

Actors- An actor is someone who acts in a film. Without actors there wouldnt really be a narrative. Actors help to make the film more enjoyable as there emotions and expressions help to connect the audience with the characters and to portay an idea to the audience what they are like so that they get an impression of what the film could be like and to make judgements on the different characters.

Director of photography(camera man) - Directors of photography are a key aspect needed to create a film. They are requested by the director and must be approved by the financiers. They work closely with the direcor and production designer to help to give the film its visual signiture and to make it as exciting as possible. They use elements such as lighting, framing, camera moving etc to help to create an amazing film and to highlight different parts of the film in a clearer view which will help the audience and the actors connect.

Music Producers - Music can have many different roles in different film genres. For example they could be a key aspect in musicals. In the thriller genre it can help to build tension and to shock the audience. Different music and sound can also help to define the characters, location, period and ethnicity of films. It could also generate an emotion response by connecting the audience with the film and the characters.

Screen play writer - This is the person who comes up with the narrative of the film and write the script of the film. This sets the outline of the film and what the film will be about. It also creates the characters. Screen play writers are imporant as they create the narrative of the film.

MES Co-ordinators - The mise en scene co-ordinators are incharge of all the aspects of mise en scene. For example; lighting, space, composition, costume, hair and makeup styles, and acting.

We decided what each person would be doing by asking them what they would prefur and what they would most enjoy and what we each thought they would be the best at and would do the most well in so that we could make our thriller opening sequence to the best ability as we could.
Producers - Harry Hyett, Co-Joshua Lester. A person responsible for the financial and managerial aspects of the making of the film.

Directors - Harry Hyett. We decided to choose harry hyett as our director as he is very organasied and will make our thriller filming run as efficiently as possible so we can get our filming done to the best of our ability. Harrys job was to tell the actors me and josh what to do. He also told josh our director of photgraphy what camera angles to use and what to film.

 

Actors - Our actors were me and Luke Durrance. We decided to choose me as one of the actors as i am a young blonde femlale. This makes our thriller conventional as the audience would believe i was a stereotypical dumb vulnerable blonde. This would make the audience think they knew what was going to happen. We chose also chose Luke Durrance as another one of our actors as he is a male and is confident in acting. The purpose of him being a male dressed in dark closing hiding a significant amount of his identity also make the audience believe that he will be the murderer which will all swap round half way during the opening sequence.

Director of Photography (Cameraman) - We chose Josh Lester to be our camera man as he is more knowledged then the rest of us about cameras and this technology. He also knew the area we was film in well so he knew where to go to archieve the best high angles and to get the best lighting. Josh used the camera to create different camera angles to make our thriller as good as possible.

Music Producers - We decided to chose Luke Durrance as our music producer as he is knowleged in music as he plays the drums so he knows more about music than the rest of us.

Screenplay Writer - We chose Harry Hyett to be our screen play writer as his screen play was the best and sounded the most frightening. This means our thriller will build as much tension as possible to make it the most frighening for our audience.

MES Co-Ordinators - We decided to choose Me and Josh as our MES co-Ordinators as i am the only girl in the group so was more knowled about makeup, costume and hairstyles. We also picked Josh to co-ordinate the other aspects such as Set design, Lighting,Space and acting. As he is knowledged about this and would make it the better if he was incharge of this.

Editors - We decided to choose all of us (Me, Harry Hyett, Luke Durrance and Losh Lester) to edit our thriller clip as we all took part in different ways so we should all have an input into making the final product. This means that we all will have our thriller clip how we would like it.

 

 

 



Inspirations - Miss Miller

The important of inspirations are so that you can view other peoples ideas and see what they have  have thought of and how they have used them to create new ideas to make our own thriller and to make it the best as possible. We can take inspirations from almost anything such as photos, clothing,books other movies etc. For our thriller we have took our inspiration from the movie the Orphan. This is as our blonde female character is an abandoned orphan. We liked this idea as it is an unusual idea that you don't see in most movies.

In my other research of the thriller genre I have watched different thriller clips and taken inspirations from different ones.

Se7en -  In the opening credits on the film se7en we used inspirations of the low key lighting and the hidden identity. These are two conventions of the thriller genre which we will also include in our thriller. We use low key lighting the whole way through the opening sequence as it builds fear and tension as the audience cannot see what is happening in the distance. We also use a hidden identity when we are first introduced to the little girl and the man as it creates a sense of enigma and we do not no what to expect.

The orphan - We also watched the final scene of the film orphan. This is were we got many of our inspirations from including the main character. This is where we got the idea of our character to be an orphan as they are very unusual which makes them mysterious and unpredictable. We also had inspirations from which weapons were used. Like in the orphan they used a knife we also decided to use knife. This is as it makes the audience anxious when they see the weapon which will lead to tension which will make our opening scene more interesting for the audience.

Planning Sound - Miss Miller

The importance of sound within a film is that it makes the film more exciting. It also highlights important parts within a film for example you can use non diegetic sound to make a certain part of the film more noticeable and to shock the audience. Sound is specifically important in thrillers as the sound of a soundtrack adds and builds tensions for an audience as they know that someone frightening is about to happen but they do not no when. Planning is required in order to produce great sequences as it has to be at the right time and the right sort of sounds to create tension and to make it make the audience jump.


Soundtrack - We are using a Non diegetic soundtrack at the very start of the opening sequence. The soundtrack will begin as a low pitch noise and it will build up as it goes along and it will get higher and higher as we become closer to the killing. This will create tension as you are first being introduced to the setting and the soundtrack is used to add the element of mystery. This will excite the audience and make them want to carry on watching to find out what happens are the end.

Wind and rain - The sound of Wind and rain is a diegetic technique we are using. This sound will be a background noise which will highlight the fact that there is no one around. This creates a sense of fear as we see the two characters are alone and there is no body around to help. This will help the audience relate as this is an everyday noise that they would of all heard. This will create a sense of fear as they

sound of knife - This is an on screen sound. This is a sharp sound which will cause a shocking moment for the audience which will make them jump. It helps to relate the audience and the characters as they feel a sense of fear

Silence - The use of silence is highly effective as the audience is waiting for something to happen. This builds tension and a sense of enigma as they are wondering what is going to happen. It also shows that no one is around to help the victim. This will forebode that the victim will be helpless as they will have no one around to help them.

I think these different sound techniques will better our thriller film..

Soundtrack- A soundtrack will better our film as when the little girl in approaching the man and walking into the alley way it will create tension and it will foreshadow that something bad is going to happen. This will make the audience worry and wonder what is about to happen which will create fear and excitement for them.

Wind and rain- The sound of wind and rain will better our thriller as it will relate the audience to every day life. This will make it more believable and will create a relationship with our characters and the audience as it is a situation and noise they are use to hearing. This will create a sense of fear for them as it is more believable and in a sense it could happen to them.

Sound of knife- This is a sharp sound which will make the audience jump. This will create fear within the audience and shock them. It will make our thriller conventional as weapons are usually used within thrillers.

All of our techniques will help to improve our thriller clip as they will help to create the scene and make it more frightening for our audience. It will help make our audience jump and create fear and it will also help to connect our audience with the characters to make our thriller more enjoyable for them to watch.

Planning and editing styles - Miss Georgiou

Why is Editing important within a thriller film?

Editing is important within a thriller to create more suspense and to make the thriller more exciting and frightening to the viewers. It creates a better effect for the film throughout to connect the viewers and the characters.



What editing styles will you include within your sequence and why? what effect will this create ?

Reaction shot -  A reaction shot is a shot that cuts away from the main scene in order to show the reaction of a character to it. It usually implies the display of some sort of emotion. We are including reaction shot in the opening scene when the young girl disappears out of sight. We use this editing shot as we can show the sudden reaction of the man's face as she disappears. This will make the audience feel connected to the character as we see his fear and this will build tension.

Timings of shot - We are including a straight cut at the beginning of our scene because we also have a panning shot so that the audience get a view of the setting. In this panning shot we will get a glimpse of the young blonde female actress from a far away view. This will want the viewers to get a closer shot of her and to learn more about her and to try and connect with her.

Jump cut - A jump cut is a cut in editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that slightly vary. We are using a jump cut when the scene focuses on the blonde female actress when she disappears and then reappears because we want the audience to focus on the female victim to connect with her and cause tension as they realise what is happening

Straight Cut -



How are your editing styles conventional to a thriller film?
Our editing styles are conventional to a thriller as they all help to cause tension and mystery. This is by hiding identity is some techniques and also by showing the characters emotions at different times in the scenes to help cause tension and to connect the viewers and the characters.


How will your editing appeal to your audience? 

Reaction shot - This will  help by letting the audience see the characters different emotions at different parts of the scene when something happens. This will allow the audience to connect with the characters by sensing what emotion they are feeling. For example if they see that the character is frightened this will forebode that something bad is about to happen which will build tension for the viewer.

Planning Cinematography - Miss Miller

The importance of cinematography within films as it helps to build a relationship between the characters and the audience through various camera angles. This is a key element in thriller films which creates different effects from different uses of cinematography. It gives the audience clues and foreshadows which characters could be survivors or which characters could be murdered. It uses different techniques to show characters emotions which will relate the audience and characters but could also create a sense of fear and tension as we see the characters situation and see that they are frightened also.

Panning shot- Our first camera angle will be a panning shot. We have chosen to use the panning shot so that the audience can see the whole setting that we are filming. They will be first introduced to our first character in this panning shot which is a young blonde female character which will be dressed in a night dress with a pale face and black eyes. Most of the panning shot will be of the setting and will only show a glimpse of the little girl as this will create a sense of mystery to why she is there and where she is going. This element of cinematography is conventional to the thriller genre as it shows the audience the setting which could create a sense of mystery for the audience as they wonder why it is set here and why are the characters in this setting.

Long Shot - We will also be using a long shot angle. We will use a long shot numerous times throughout our thriller clip to show the audience our characters body language from a far away distance. It will also show that there is no one else around. This will create a sense of fear for the audience as it shows there is no one around to help the victim which means that they can almost predict that something mad is about to happen.

Close up - We will also be using a close up angle. This will help to show the characters emotions in more detail which will help the audience connect with the characters as they can sense there fear or anger or other emotions. In our thriller it will show a close of of the little girl who looks quite angry and sad and doesn't express any happiness. This will create tension and confusion for the audience as they will wonder why a innocent looking girl looks so angry. We will also see a close up of the man which will show fear and worry on his face. This will also build tension as the audience will feel scared and worried for him as this is what is portrayed on his face. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps the audience and the characters to connect through a form of emotions which will build tension and fear which will excite the viewers.

High angle- We use a high angle in our thriller to make it seem as though the little blonde girl is an innocent victim when she is not. This foreshadows to the audience that she will be murdered as it portrays an idea that someone is looking down on her who is stronger and more powerful and it makes her look weak and vulnerable. It will then twist and turn out that the little girl is the murderer this will confuse the audience. This camera angle is

Planning Characters - Miss Miller

The purpose of Characters

Characters are very important in any film as they help the audience to connect with the film and the characters init. This makes any film more interesting and enjoyable to watch. With no characters there wouldn't be much of a film as there would be no connection made and not much of a story line. Characters are specifically important to the thriller genre as when the audience connects with a character it helps build tension as we sense their fear this is an important convention to the thriller genre. You also need characters as they tell the narrative of a story and help to make it interesting. 

Characters - Blonde Female Victim Killer

This Character is being played by me. I am a young blonde character who is an orphan. I will be dressed in an old fashioned night dress which will be covered in dirt and blood. I will have pale make up to show that i am cold and will have dark black eyes to show i am tired and this will create a scary effect. I will first been portrayed as a young vulnerable victim which follows the conventions of a thriller. This will be done by using a high camera angle which will show that i am little and that the killer is above me which will portray and idea that i am vulnerable. This will start to make the audience feel sympathy for me as i look like a young helpless victim. It will then switch and be unconventional as i will then turn in to the killer. This will confuse the audience and will create a sense of mystery and tension as the audience are unaware of what is going to happen. This creates a twist in our opening scene so it is unusual and the audience wont be able to predict what is going to happen.

Characters- Teenage Male Victim 

This character is being played by Luke. He will be dressed in dark clothing and he will have his hood up which will follow the convention Hidden Identity. This will create a sense of fear for the audience as they will be unable to connect with him as they cannot see his identity and therefore cannot see his emotions to be able to tell what he is going to do. At the start of the opening scene we see the male as the killer. This is conventional as his identity is hidden and he is portrayed as a teenage thug. It will then twist and the male character will become the victim. This will also create a sense of confusion as the audience wont no what to suspect as the young girl is seen as innocent when really she is the killer and the young teenage is really the innocent one. 

Evaluation 

I think our characters follow the conventions of a thriller as we have the young blonde who is first portrayed as being vulnerable and we also have the teenage thug who has a hidden identity which will create tension as we do not no who he is. I think the idea of a twist in our thriller is a good idea as we are showing both conventional and unconventional aspects. This is unusual and it will help make our thriller unique this means the audience wont be able to predict what is going to happen.   

Planning Mise-En-Scene - Miss Georgiou

Why is Mise-En-Scene important within a thriller film?
Mise-En-Scene is important within a thriller as the elements of Mise-En-Scene help connect the viewers with the characters. It helps to create a more frightening thriller and build tension for the audience so they get a fright and therefore enjoy it more. It helps to set the scene of the thriller and makes it more exciting and interesting for the viewers.


What is the Mise-En-Scene of your thriller film? and why?

Setting and Iconography - The setting for our thriller is a Industrial Estate at night time. My group choose this location and it is an unusual place which means it would differ from other settings. This makes the story line unpredictable which creates tension as the audience don't no what's coming. We will be using the prop of a knife as it is conventional to the thriller genre to have a weapon. The weapon also could portray power in the opening scene and show which character is vulnerable which can foreshadow what is going to happen.

Characters, Hair and Make up - We have two characters in our opening scene. One is a young female blonde. This is conventional of a thriller as it follows the idea of a young dumb blonde who is vulnerable. She will be dressed in a long night dress which would show that she is very mysterious as she is in an industrial site alone at a late time. The male in our thriller will be wearing dark clothes which colours portrays evilness and show that he is a dark and mysterious character. The Females victim will be pale make up with dark eyes which shows she has been crying. She will also have dirt and blood stains and rips in her night dress to show that she has a bad past which will cause mystery and tension for characters as they wonder what is happening and her past.

Lighting and colour - Our thriller will all be low key lighting. This shows mystery as we cant see the surrounding area so we cant see what's going on. The low key lighting also portrays darkness which can cause tension as viewers don't no what's surrounding the characters.

What is the Mise-En-Scene for your thriller film?

Lighting- Low key

Setting and iconography - Hainault Industrial Park

Make up and costume - Hannah, night dress with rips and dirt and blood.


How is the Mise-En-Scene conventinal to a thriller film?

 Mise-En-Scene is conventional to thrillers as it needs a set setting to set the right mood and atmosphere. It needs to create a frighting feeling. It is usually set in a secluded area to reflect loneliness. It is usually set in a house or something that the audience can relate to as this makes the film feel more real to the audience which would build fright and tension as it could happen to anyone. The iconography of a thriller is usually a weapon. Normally a knife. This is as it portrays death which causes tension and forebodes what will happen in the rest of the film.

Costume, Hair and makeup - Costume, hair and makeup is convention to a thriller as it makes the characters individual and defines who they are. In some cases when we first see each character we can almost guess who in the victim and who is the murderder which creates tension as we know what is coming. On the other hand costumes, hair and makeup could be used to make the characters equal which creates enigma as we dont know what is coming. It is also used to make a more scary effect.

Facial expressions and body language - Facial expressions and body language are conventional as they express what the character is feeling which creates a relationship with the audience which will make them feel frightened, happy, relieved etc. They are expressed through uses of cinematography, for example a close up can be used to closely show how an individual is feeling through their face expressions.

Lighting and colour - Lighting is a key aspect to the thriller genre as it sets the mood of the film. Most thriller films use low key lighting as it effect darkness and create a frightening atmosphore.

Positioning of character and objects within the frame - This is conventional to the thriller genre as it focuses on a certian object or characters. Usually before they are murdered as it shows the scene is focus which will build fright and tension.

How can your thriller build a relationship with your target audience ?

My thriller can build a relationship with my target audience through many ways throughout my opening scene. One way is though facial expressions. This is when we see close ups of the young female victim who at first looks sad. This will cause the audience to feel sorry and worried for the young girl walking around at night time on her own. It will then turn and the audience will then become frightened of her as they relise that she is the murderer.

Individual story board - Miss Miller

A story board is a series of pictures in order that tells a story, provides instructions or shows the flow of action. The Purpose of a story board is to help plan the film so that the creators of the film know esactly what there doing so that there film can be esactly what they want it to be. It always helps as they can see if the idea they have chosen to do works and if not they can remake there story board until it it how they want it. A story board is a rough copy of their final piece which will show the creators of the film a rough idea of how there final piece will look.

 I have done a 10 slide story board to help me and my group to plan our opening sequence so i can get an idea of what different camera shots and angles to use and what different forms of editing we should use so our final piece can be the best we can make it. I have set mine in the same setting and the same low key lighting throughout the clip and have used different camera angles to try and engage the viewers with the characters. I think that my story board could have used more variation in the camera angles and editing techniques to make my story board better and more complex.

Preliminary Task - Miss Georgiou

In my group we have 4 members, Hannah Mahoney, Josh Lester, Harry Hyett and Luke Durrance. The preliminary task helped us as we learnt about camera angle shots and got to practice different ones while me and Harry had a simple one minute conversation. This helped as we could see which camera shots would be effective  for each different scene in our opening sequence. It helped us get a small idea of different shots we would be doing and gave us practice before we start our opening sequence. We also had to edit the clip after and cut out all our faults and put all the different clips together to make our minute long sequence this also helped as we learnt how to edit our different clips and fit them all together so we are prepared for our opening sequence.

We learnt which shots were most effective and learnt that we should do an over the shoulder angle when the person is speaking. We also learnt that the people speaking should never look at the camera man when in a conversation which i had trouble with. This preliminary task really helped our group as we got to learn all different aspects of editing and filming which would help us with our opening sequence

Target Audience Results - Miss Miller

Target Audience results

My research was carried out so i was aware what type of audience my thriller clip will appeal to and also to get ideas of what interests people in watching thrillers. This research will help me to create my opening scene as i understand what aspects of thrillers people enjoy and also to get some ideas.

Question 1- How old are you?

 This Pie chart shows us that most of the people questioned were aged 11-20 as this age group made up 62 percent of the total amount of people quesioned. This means that i should aim my thriller to be  certicate 15 or 18

question 2 - What is your Gender ?

The results shown in this question shows that the most people asked in this were men. This means are thriller opening my contain different conventions than it would if more females were asked as males could have different opinions to females. 

Question 3 - After watching the first film 

Conventions of thrillers in Opening scene of Halloween - Miss Georgiou

One of the ways the opening of Halloween informs the audience of the conventions of a thriller film is that the uses of Cinematography for example the whole camera shot is point of view. We see this as we see Michaels point of view and what he is seeing the whole way threw. This also leads to another convention of hidden identity due to the fact that the camera is POV this means we do not see what the murderer looks like also as we see at 2.37 that Michael puts a mask on also shows the convention of hidden identity.

Another convention is the use of non Diagetic sound this is shown at through most of the opening scene. The use of the soundtrack and the high pitch music creates suspense as the audience can see that something bad is about to happen. This causes the audience to be frightened.

Another convention of the thriller genre is Low key lighting. This is shown at 0.03 seconds to 0.11 seconds also at 0.53 to 1.11 this builds suspense and makes the audience feel more involved in the film and the characters as they can get a sense of the atmosphere and it also builds fear as we cannot see clearly what is happening in the house.

The final convention is the use of a young blonde female victim. This portrays the stereotype of a blonde naive and vulnerable young girl.

Group Narrative

What is the purpose of a narrative - The purpose of a narrative is to engage the viewers and to grab the viewers attention. Some narratives are used for different purpose and for different themes. The narrative method comes in 5 main category's which are plots (whats going to happen), Setting (where it will take place), Characterisation (main characters), Structure (how the scene will start) and lastly the theme (genre of a narrative and message trying to be broadcasted)

My idea 

My idea for my thriller scene

Its late at night and a little girl around 10 years old is playing with her dolly's in her bedroom. The lighting is low key and her room is set in an old fashion room. She hears someone singing downstairs so she goes downstairs to see what it is. We see a close up of her face and see her slowly walking down the stairs and see how nervous she is as she is trembly. Scary non diagetic soundtrack playing in the background as she is walking down the stairs to create suspense and build tension. As she reaches the bottom of the stairs we see the hallway and the chandelier is swinging. We hear the diagetic sound of her footsteps and the floor squeaking as she walks along. The sound of someone singing varys in sound goes loud and quiet. She walks into the kitchen and in the corner of her eye sees a scary little girl in a white long night gown who is quite dirty and is singing and crying. She slowly walks over to the little girl and the background soundtrack starts to get faster and louder. As she reaches the crying female actress she puts her hand out to touch her. As she does the music stops and the crying girl looks up and we see an extreme close up of her face as she screams.

Evaluation- The disadvantages of this narrative is that is doesn't show the groups cinematography. This means we cannot see which camera angles are being used and how it is going to connect with the audience. Also it doesn't show as many conventions to a thriller. The Advantages of this narrative is that it explains the Mise en scene that is being used for example the low key lighting.

Luke Durrance Narrative 

In a empty are at night time the longshot shows a group of teenagers that are trying to hurt an old man thats on his own, the camera then shows a close up of the 'villian' in a mask, he is angry at what he is seeing happen to the old man, so as he comes out of the shadows he shouts over to the group of teenagers to stop. The camera shows the reaction of the old man as he is on the floor with tears rolling down his face, the camera then cuts to the leader of the group who is laughing at the 'viliian' who is walking slowly towards them. As the man gets to the group there is silence until the 'villian' shouts at the group of teenagers who are standing there suprised at what is happening, the villian then helps the old man stand up, he then tells him to leave, the man is seen to be limping home as he is holding is arm in pain. Some of the teenagers begin to walk away as they are laughing but the leader of the group stays and the masked villian then whispers to him, 'there will be consequenses'. That is all that is said, he looks scared and he turns away and sprints off, the rest of the group follow him shortly after. There is a longshot that focuses on the masked villian standing on his own in the middle of the street in darkness. The next shot is of an abandoned warehouse, where the masked villan is sitting alone sharpening his saw, the shot after is of the group of teenagers from the previous night, they are all layed on the floor with their mouthes taped shut and their legs and arms tied together, one or two of them are crying. The final shot is of the masked villan slowly walking in their direction, and he whispers in the same teenagers ear, 'what did I tell you'.

Evaluation - The advantages of this narrative are that he explains which cinematography which is going to be used so we can visualise what the narrative will look like so we can see if it is a good idea. 
Disadvantages - The disadvantages of this is that is doesn't explain which sound is happening and weather it is diegetic or non diegetic. Also it is too long and isn't conventional. 

Harry Hyett Narrative

 A secluded location away from the outside world, which is out of the way from help from anyone. Female Victim most likely to be blonde as in my research from conventions they are portrayed as weak because of stereotypes. The female and the masked killer will be around Low Key Lighting as it creates shadows and suspense. Killer can be seen in the distance following the victim but barely seen so that it is not obvious to the victim. Killer comes into focus under a light to create a sudden shock to the audience and disappears quickly again. To create this light from lamppost can be used as they are a light source and shadows to hide the killer. It becomes apparent to the audience what is going to happen as they can see the killer gaining on the victim. The victim can be killed or just knocked out as the killer maybe torturing victims so either a knife to kill or some form of cloth with some liquid to knock the victim out when en-haled. In addition the victim doesn't need to be killed as the ending of the scene could just be a reaction shot. Although its typical of most thriller films for the victim to be killed.

Group Narrative

A young girl covered in blood is walking along an industrial estate at night in ragged clothes stained with blood. She walks lonely and fragile in pain as soemthing has happened to her and she appears too be cold and injured. She is walking along with her phone with its bright light illuminating her face. She walks under the deem shawdowed light source of the lamposts, with just the wind brushing past her making her colder. She is encounterned by a man in this distance shouting out to her. He comes face to face with her and asked if she is "okay" he can see by her appearence that she is hurt and in need of help. He turns away for a brief period of time to call help for her and turns back to see her disappered. In shock he hangs up on the phone and looks in the distance in search of the girl. He calls out and looks around but he cannot find her. He walks off trying to forget the situation when out of nowhere the girl appears behind him with a knife and a unseen face and screams out to disappear as he turns around. It keeps happening until she is in front of him and starts to run at him.

Research into sound - Miss Miller

Sound in the thriller genre is a very important aspect. Sound helps to build tension and help set the atmosphere and engage the viewers with the scene and characters. I will be explaining the sound techniques of the thriller Mama.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWE1V79LBY0

The first sound technique that is used is Non diagetic sound. This is when the female character is about to open the door and there is high pitch scary music playing in the background. The use of this music creates a sense of fear for the viewers which makes it more exciting as it builds suspense as they no something frightening is about to happen. There is also more non diagetic sound at 41 seconds as she is about to open the closet. This music is a low pitch and it also creates a sense of fear and forebodes that something bad is about to happen.

The use of the diagetic sound of the actress heavy breathing engages the watchers with the film as we get a sense of the fear she has. It shows us how scared the actress is and how we would be if we was in her position. This also builds tension and creates fear for the viewers.

Also the use of the off screen sound at 36 seconds in the background sounds like crickets. This is an unusual sound it the background which could reflect that something unusual and unexpected is about to happen. This always creates tension as it shows how silent it is in the house that you could hear that.

The use of Contrapuntal sound when the female actress is about to open the door handle with the scary music in the background and when she does the two younger actresses are laughing. This is not what we expect as we see that the actress is frightened as opens the door. This causes mystery as we wonder why they are happy when something scary is in the closet.



















tttttv v 

Research into the history of Thriller Films - Miss Georgiou

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewers moods giving them high levels of anticipation, surprise, uncertainty, anxiety or terror. They tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast pace.


The three apples, a tale in the one thousand and one nights, is the earliest known murder mystery film.In 1903 the first thriller was made according to Ken Follett which was The riddle of the sands.
Alfred Hitchcock first thriller was his third silent film the Lodger which was made in 1926.

1940s
In the 1940s Hitchcock continued to produce thrillers such as Rebecca the Oscar winning film which is about an unusual romance.

1950s
In the 1950s Hitchcock also added Technicolor to his thriller list. Non Hitchcock thrillers made throughout the 1950s are Niagara by Henry Hathaway which starred Marilyn Monroe also Robert Aldrich's Kiss me deadly who starred Ralph Meeker.

1960s
In 1960 Hitchcock produced the thriller Psycho. This film is known for one of the most famous films in the thriller genre where the shadowy mother figure holds a knife towards the camera.

1970s
Hitchcock's first British film in over almost two decades was made. Frenzy made in 1972 was given the rating R for its vicious and explicit strangulation scene.

Below is the top 20 grossing thriller films of all time.

Hannibal - The film Hannibal is a sequel to the award winning The silence of the Lambs.
The film is set 10 years after the film The silence of the lambs, The film concentrates on Starling's
'attempts to apprehend lector before his surviving victim, mason verger (an unbilled Gary Oldman)
captures and kills him'. The location of the film switches between the USA and Italy.

2. The silence of the lambs - The silence of the lambs is about a young F.B.I cadet who must
confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer
who skins his victim. The top billed cast include Jodie Foster, Lawrence A. Bonney and Kasi
Lemmon's.

3.  Basic instinct is about a Police Detective who is in charge of the investigation of a brutal
murder, in which a beautiful and seductive woman could be involved. The top billing cast include
Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone and George Dzundza.

Rank	Title (click to view)	Studio	Lifetime Gross / Theaters		Opening / Theaters		Date
1	Hannibal	MGM	$165,092,268	3,292	$58,003,121	3,230	2/9/01
2	The Silence of the Lambs	Orion	$130,742,922	1,642	$13,766,814	1,497	2/14/91
3	Basic Instinct	TriS	$117,727,224	1,884	$15,129,385	1,567	3/20/92
4	Seven	NL	$100,125,643	2,528	$13,949,807	2,441	9/22/95
5	Red Dragon	Uni.	$93,149,898	3,363	$36,540,945	3,357	10/4/02
6	Saw II	Lions	$87,039,965	2,949	$31,725,652	2,949	10/28/05
7	Saw III	LGF	$80,238,724	3,167	$33,610,391	3,167	10/27/06
8	The Bone Collector	Uni.	$66,518,655	2,623	$16,712,020	2,587	11/5/99
9	Saw IV	LGF	$63,300,095	3,183	$31,756,764	3,183	10/26/07
10	The Cell	NL	$61,334,059	2,476	$17,515,050	2,411	8/18/00
11	Kiss the Girls	Par.	$60,527,873	2,406	$13,215,167	2,271	10/3/97
12	Sea of Love	Uni.	$58,571,513	1,439	$10,017,840	1,246	9/15/89
13	Saw	Lions	$55,185,045	2,467	$18,276,468	2,315	10/29/04
14	Identity	Sony	$52,159,536	2,733	$16,225,263	2,733	4/25/03
15	Natural Born Killers	WB	$50,282,766	1,904	$11,166,687	1,510	8/26/94
16	Saw 3D	LGF	$45,710,178	2,808	$22,530,123	2,808	10/29/10
17	Psycho II	Uni.	$34,725,000	1,488	$8,310,244	1,448	6/3/83
18	Monster	NM	$34,469,210	1,093	$86,831	4	12/24/03
19	Zodiac	Par.	$33,080,084	2,379	$13,395,610	2,362	3/2/07
20	Taking Lives	WB	$32,682,342	2,705	$11,458,465	2,705	3/19/04

The BBFC stands for the British Board of film Classification which was set up in 1912. It is a non governmental body which works to classify videos and dvds. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and some video games under the video recording act 2010. The BBFC first begame operating on the 1st of janurary 1913. Its legal basis was the cinematograph act 1909. This required cinemas to have licences from local authorties. It was introduced for safety reasons and concerns. The BBFC rates theatrically released films, and rates videos and video games that forfieted exemption from the video recording act 1984. Different films have certicates which states which age can watch the film. The category logos were introduced in 2003 replacing the previous ones which were introduced and had been in place since 1982. Below are the age certificates and examples of the different ages certificates.


 The ages certicicate U stands for universal. It should be suitable for ages 4 and over. However is is impossible to predict the effects a child this young. Examples of films aged U are telletubbies and In the night garden. Bad language is kept very mild at certificate U words such as 'buggur' or 'bloody' may be used. Certificate Us do not have no overt focus on sexual behaviour but there may be characters that are seen kissing and cuddling. A U film may include breif fight scenes or moments where characters are placed in danger but moments of emotional stress or threat will quickly.

PG, this stands for parental guidance. This means that the film is suitable for general viewing but some scenes within the film may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film shouldnt distress a childage aged 8 or over. Some films are given a PG certificate but are not made with the younger audidences in mind. In a PG film very mild bad language will be used. Examples of this are words such as 'shit' or 'son of a bitch'. There should be no detail of vilolence in a PG film but there may be some flashes of blood etc. Examples of PG films are Wreck-it ralph and The sapphires.

12A this means that anyone 12 or over the age of 12 can go and see this film unnaccomanied. This means they can go view the film without an adult. The difference between 12 and 12A is that the 12 certicate is just used for DVDs and blu-rays and videos where as the 12A is used in the cinema only.
There will be bad language in a PG film such as the word 'f***' but it must be kept infrequent.
Sex scenes may accour in 12 and 12A certificates but they will but it will be shown briefly and not in detail. Examples of 12A films are Red 2 and pacific Rim.

15. The 15 certifaces clearly states that no one under the age of 15 is allowed to view this film. Not in the cinema or at home and they are not allowed to rent the film.

Is 15 really stronger than 12A?

Yes. 15 works are stronger than 12 or 12A rated works and could include any of the following:

• strong violence
• frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• discriminatory language or behaviour
• drug taking

There would generally be alot of strong language in certificate 15 film. There would be words such as 'F***' used and occasionally there may be use of the word 'c***'
Examples of certifcate 15 films are The heat and Mama.

18. This certifcate means that this is strictly for adults only. No one under the age of 18 is allowed to view these films. It is possible that some themes shown at 18 may be offensive even to some adult viewers.In an certicate 18 you may find strong issues such as Very strong violence, Frequenct strong language, Strong portrays of sexual activity etc. A high amount of strong language would be shown at certicate 18 as there is no limit to the amount used.

Research into Conventions of the thriller genre - Miss miller

 

The clip I chose to discuss conventions of thriller is Tiffany's death from the thriller When a Stranger Calls.

 

A common convention of a thriller is a female victim. In the thriller when a stranger calls we see two female victims. The blonde female victim who dies is commonly used not just only in this thriller but in many others to. It uses the Stereotypical naïve blonde girl to show that they are stupid and more venerable to the murderers, This would help young teenagers watching the movie relate to the film as the young actress would be very much like some of the viewers watching which makes it feel more believable.

 

Also another convention of a thriller is building suspense through different aspects such as Low key lighting and non diegetic sound helps to create fear and suspense within a thriller. We see this in the clip above as the whole clip is low key lighting and when we hear a soundtrack played in the background most commonly slow scary music to build suspense and forebode something bad is about to happen for example when she is about to open the shower curtain this builds up a lot of suspense as we cannot see the other side of the shower.

 

Another convention shown in this clip is the use of cinematography. For example at 1.03 we see a high angle shot. This is commonly used in thrillers as it makes the character look smaller therefore it foreshadows that they are the victim and that they will be murdered. It suggests that the murderer is bigger than them and makes them look venerable.

 

 

 



Research Into Cinematography - Miss Miller

The clip I chose is from the thriller movie Gothika. I will be explaining which parts of cinematography is shown in the clip and what the effects of it are. Cinematography is defined as the art of making motion pictures.

The start of the clip shows an extreme longshot as we see Halle Berry running through a dark swimming pool. An extreme long shot is when the camera is positioned at a further distance to minimise the importance of the subject and increase importance of the background. This shows that the place the female actress is an important part of the film and shows that the swimming pool could have a big part to the rest of the film. It is used to show the environment and situation that the female character is in and shows how desperate she is to go to an unusual place like this. It helps to connect the viewers to the character and we sense her fear which makes viewers fearful.  It also creates a scary effect as a swimming pool is quite an unusual place to be at night. 0.08 seconds get picture.

As the female actress is running away and hiding from the guards the camera slowly zooms in as she is sliding into the swimming pool. This shows the importance of the character and shows she is a big part in the scene as it is drawing her in to the viewers attention. It shows her facial expressions as she is getting deeper into the pool and we can tell she is extremely nervous and frightened by the look on her face. This connects the viewers and the actress as they slightly feel what she is feeling which adds tension.

We also see a close up of Halle berry as the rest of her body enters the water as she is hiding. A close up is when a smaller part of the scene is shown to empathise something for example in this clip the characters face and neck fill the shot. This shows an up close of her facial expressions which we can see she is extremely frightened. This engages us with her and makes us almost sorry for her and build suspense as we can tell something is about to happen, Get picture at 41 seconds.

When the female actress is hiding in the water we see a shot of her point of view, Point of view is to show the audience the same image as a character within a film. This helps viewers connect with the actress as we see what she is going through and image what we would be like in her situation. It also creates a sense of fear and suspense as we cannot see what is behind her or what is coming and as we can see her view of a dark empty swimming pool. 57 seconds.

This research will help me with my own thriller clip as it will help me to create tension and engage the audience with the characters and help me to pick which part of cinematography to a specific section of my opening sequence.

Individual ideas for a narrative - Miss Georgiou

My idea for my thriller scene

Its late at night and a little girl around 10 years old is playing with her dolly's in her bedroom. The lighting is low key and her room is set in an old fashion room. She hears someone singing downstairs so she goes downstairs to see what it is. We see a close up of her face and see her slowly walking down the stairs and see how nervous she is as she is trembly. Scary non diagetic soundtrack playing in the background as she is walking down the stairs to create suspense and build tension. As she reaches the bottom of the stairs we see the hallway and the chandelier is swinging. We hear the diagetic sound of her footsteps and the floor squeaking as she walks along. The sound of someone singing varys in sound goes loud and quiet. She walks into the kitchen and in the corner of her eye sees a scary little girl in a white long night gown who is quite dirty and is singing and crying. She slowly walks over to the little girl and the background soundtrack starts to get faster and louder. As she reaches the crying female actress she puts her hand out to touch her. As she does the music stops and the crying girl looks up and we see an extreme close up of her face as she screams.The use of the convention of a young female victim is also used as it shows how vulnerable they are and that they are an easy target.  My film inspirations are from the thriller 'Mama' as it uses the idea of children. Also from the Amityville horror as they use the idea of little girls being haunted.

Research into editing - Miss Georgiou

Film editing is the process of manipulating and rearranging video shots to create a new work. Editing is commonly considered to be part of post production process. The film editor uses and works with raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences to create a finished motion picture.

In the thriller 'Orphan' in the ending fight scene they use a montage. This is the speed of editing where shots are quickly juxtaposed together. We see this at 27 seconds to 37 seconds. When is shows a number of different shots of the two female characters fighting and the frightened little female character. The high speed of the different shots increases the speed of the clip and creates excitement and the convention of tension which makes the viewers nervous to what will happen next.

Also there is a different timing of shots. This is when we see the young female actress sliding down the snow to reach the gun. Quickly followed by the fast pace of the shot of the close up of the female actress with the knife. This helps to create suspense as it shows theaudience the fast pace of the fight and gives the a sense of how they would feel if they was in this position.

The 180 rule. This is used when the two actors are fighting as we never see the other scenery other than both the characters fightin on the lake. We never see the house in this clip. The use of the 180 rules enables the audience to visually connect with unseen movement happening around and behind the immedidate subject. It is also important in the narration of a battle scene. It also helps viewers not to get confused with the clips.

A straight cut is also used in this scene. This happens when we see the two female actresses fighting at one point and then we see a straight cut when they change the viewpoint to the little girl sitting on the hill of snow. This shows the different feelings of the characters and causes tension as the viewers wonder what the little girl will do to help her mother. The use of the female victim is also a convention as it shows that she is vulnerable.

This research will help us when we make our own thriller clip as we can see which different editing techniques will be appropriate for our specific thriller clip. It will also help us as each different technique causes different effects for viewers which means we can use specific ones to cause more tension and fright so we can make our thriller clip the best we can. 

Research into Mise en Scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise en Scene is a French word meaning composing the scene. Mise en scene has a number of different meanings. The actual meaning is how everything is positioned and designed in your set. Mise en scene refers to everything that appears before the camera and its arrangement- composition, sets, props, actors, costumes, sounds and lighting. I have chosen the opening credits from the film 7 where i will be picking out different aspects of mise en scene. 

Lighting 

The main lighting in this clip is low key lighting. Low key lighting adds suspense as it gives a sense of darkness and loneliness which frightens the viewers. Chatoscuro is visible in this picture from the clip as we see the shadow. The use of the shadow is conventional to the thriller as the audience are unaware of what is going on in the scene this creates suspense as the audience are confused and wondering who this shadow is which is also another convention which is hidden identity. The use of the picture being black and white juxtaposes the colours portraying a sense of good and evil and foreshadowing that there will be  a hero and a villain. 

Makeup and Costumes. 

As this opening scene follows the conventions of a thriller using hidden identity we do not see the characters face therefore do not see his makeup on his face or his costume. On the other hand we also see that the character has makeup on his hands making them look dirty. This creates a sense of enigma as we do not know where he has been or what he has been doing to get those dirty hands. This makes viewers more willing to watch the rest of the film as they want to find out what else happens. 

 Body language 

In this clip 

Setting

As we watch the opening clip we only get flashes of were the character may be and it is hard to work out where he actually is. This creates mystery as it is quite an unusual place to be. As he is developing photos it makes us think the character could be a stalker or could have an obsession with someone. Also the colours in this clip are very dark and show a lot of red. Red could symbolize danger or blood this could foreshadow the events they are about to come in the rest of the movie. 

Camera Angle

In this opening clip we only see extreme close ups which are mainly of the characters hands. This lets us see his hands in more detail.This is highly effective as we can not see any other part of the background or setting and it could portray that his hands are a big aspect of the film as he could use them to kill other characters. This also creastes mystery as we wonder who the character is and what he looks like.

Mise en Scene will help me to create my own thriller clip as i can understand which aspects create mystery and help create a sense of fear. This will make my thriller clip more exciting for people to watch. It also helps me  to show which lighting creates different things such as shadows which also adds to making my thriller more scary.