On the day of filming, we went to James' house as it was the main place for the scenes and was close to Toton sidings where we needed to film. We spent around two hours running through our storyboards and plans for filming so that all of us were clear on what we were filming and where. This way all of our scenes could be filmed efficiently and we wouldn't lose the light outside and we wouldn't waste time on filming when it's not needed.
It took us around an hour to then film everything outside on Toton sidings before it got to dark to film. We made sure we did the same shots a few times incase some were better than others this way when it came to editing we had footage to choose from instead of only one shot.
After filming the outdoor scenes, we moved back to James' house to film all the scenes inside his house, this wasn't as vital as it's not like we needed the daylight. We did change a few of the settings from the storyboard because we decided they looked better and were more effective for the shot itself.
We had finished filming by around 4 and had checked through our footage to check we had it all filmed and sorted ready for editing in one day.
We only had a few important props that were crucial to keeping the storyline of our thriller, and only for the opening.
The cat box was important for Lindsey to find in the woods which included the bio hazard sign, these are important because they show were the infection running throughout the film actually comes from. The fact that the cat box is bright blue helps because it makes it noticeable to the audience and that it is something out of the ordinary.
The bio hazard sign is to go on the back of the cat box so that the audience knows the cat is dangerous and letting it out could become a big issue. We tried to make it as realistic as possible to that it didn't look stupid.
Costumes:
When choosing what to wear we chose simple, casual and warm clothes so that it showed well we were students and weren't particularly bother by what we were wearing because we wanted comfort. It also shows we're just going on with our everyday lives so that it seems as its no different from any other day. We also wore natural make up so that it didn't look like anything special. Make up was used by Sam to create the cut on the main characters hand so that the audience could see that she had been scratched by the cat that was in the bio hazard box.
Location We had three main locations for our opening scene all around the same are so that we didn't need to take all our equipment too far.
The first location that we used was toton sidings near the park and near james' house. It was used for the main character walking up through the path as if it were a normal day. We used the forest type look because it looked slightly creepy and adds to the effect of the thriller genre. The weather on the day was very gloomy and dull which I think added to the effect of being eerie, so the atmosphere on the day worked well and we were very lucky it did not rain. Pathetic fallacy is used because of the weather to foreshadow everything bad that happens later. A second location we used was the outside of James' house, used for the main character to walk into a home and make it look like a normal everyday scene. It was useful that James' house was close to Toton sidings because it made our filming quicker as we did not have far to travel from the two locations. It was also easier to use James' house because we used his living room as a main part of the opening, this gave it good continuity.
Finally we used James' front room as a main part for the main character coming home from a long day out shopping.
It is cosy and homey room that looks perfect for the characters house because it's nothing fancy.
Characters
Name: Lindsey Thomas
Age: 19-20
Character facts:
Young woman who studies Biology at University and has a passion for it.
Best friends with Lindsey, met in secondary school, go to the same uni and now lives with her.
Very curious person, wants to know about things, which explains why in the opening sequence he wonders whats in the box and even puts his hand in it.
Quite cool and relaxed, doesn't like to make a deal out of something that maybe really she is worried/panicked about.
What their actual role is: Finds a cat in the woods that scratches her, starts out as the main character and carrier of infection.
Costume: Casual clothing that is not too old fashioned as she is just a normal late teenager but maybe a jacket or scarf, nothing too fancy as she is walking through a wooded area.
Actor/Actress playing the role: I, myself agreed to play the role as Lindsay and I hop e I will be okay with portraying the role. I haven't had too much drama experience but I think I can cleverly show the characteristics that have to come through within the acting for the character of Sarah Davis.
Best friendswith Sarah, met in secondary school, go to the same uni and now lives with her.
Caring and hard working person, likes to help people.
What their actual role is: The secondry character that worries about Sarah when she comes back scratched, she knows that it doesn't look right but Sarah doesnt make a fuss so she lets it go.
Costume: Casual clothing that is not too old fashioned as she is just a normal late teenager e.g. jeans, top and cardigan. Actor/Actress playing the role: Sam Milne agreed to portray the character of Sarah Davis, she has lot of experience through drama, but wanted to mainly focus on the directing for the opening sequence instead of playing the main character.
We are doing all our filming in half term because it is the only day that we are all free and we will have the whole day set aside to film all the footage. Date for Filming: 25th February 2011, arriving at the first location (James' house at 11am) Location:Toton - James' house and 'Sidings' Order of shots: We plan to film the indoor shots first in James' house and then go to the 'sidings' to film to outisde shots in the wooded area. Actors needed: Sam Milne (Me) and Brad Evans Props needed: Cat, Cat box, Red contacts, Shopping bags, Phone, iPod or portable music player of somesort and Make up to create the scratches on hand.
Risk Assesment
Safety was important because we don't want any actors or equipment to become damaged. This could ruin footatge and all our plans for filming the thriller and editing our final piece.
What is the risk?
Who/What is at risk?
Risk Level
What we are going to do to avoid risk?
Breaking/damaging the cameras when filming.
The Camera
Medium/High
To avoid dropping the camera, it will be screwed onto the tripod at all times and when it is not in use it will be protective bag. We are planning on using a few cameras to shoot and to take stills so we have to make sure all cameras are protected.
Breaking the tripod
The Tripod
Low
The tripod will always be in use and this will hopefully prevent it being damaged. We will make sure that all screws on the tripod will be tightened and not loose as that could cause damage. When the tripod isn't in use, it'll be laid down on a flat surface to prevent it from tumbling over.
Losing any equipment/props
Any props/equipment that are being used.
Low
The only valuable props that is at a risk of being lost are the mobile phone and portable music player. These will be in the actors pocket when filming is not taking place. We will make sure that all props and equipment are safe and make sure nothing is missing after the filming.
Damaging the environment when we film outside
The environment
Low
We haven't got any equipment that could possibly damage any of the environment but we will consider where we shoot our outside shots to prevent any damages to the environment. We will also make sure the plastic bags that we use in our filming will not be left anywhere.
Actors eye's become irritated by the red contacts
Cast/Crew
Medium
The contacts could cause some irritation for the actor wearing them. If this happens then the contacts will be remove and eyes will be washed but if the actor feels as though he cannot place them in the eye, we will apply to red eye effect when we get to the editing stage.
Cat not co-operating/needing a lot of looking after in case it runs off.
Cat
High
We might be using a cat in our opening sequence and this could cause a bit of trouble. If this does happen we will make sure that James or James' mum is on hand to help if the cat becomes un co-operative or run away from the scene, if we don't use the cat then we will be can easily change the shot.
Our storyboards helped us to plan our each individual scene so we could present it's shots, timings, settings and angles. Without these it would make filming difficult as we would have no idea what scenes we would need to be filming and where. These are vital as our idea is quite complicated and we have spent a lot of time thinking out each seem so it reaches our limit of 2 minutes.
We firstly did a draft storyboard which layed out each scene in basic with no timings, then we went back through everything and changed it to make it more detailed and a lot easier to sort out when it came to filming the final footage.
Scene by scene we have planned out the timings so that we can keep the opening scene plot into the time limit of 2 minutes and not too much over.
They show shot by shot what each angle will be, whether there is a zoom or any kind of camera effect to make the film keep to the thriller genre.
Before strating to plan a plot and storyboard we wrote down all our ideas and thoughts on the genre of thriller and the ideas that we wanted to use. Firstly we brainstormed all the sub-genres of a thriller, including:
Action
Fantasy/Sci-fi
Psycho
Crime
Medical
These are the sub-genres that we prefered to use for our own thriller project, then branched off into ideas for each. For Action we came up with:
Fast pace
Weapons
Cars
Fantasy/Sci-fi:
Supernatural
Lots of effects
Unusal
Confusing
Psycho:
Stalker
Murder/mass murder
Religion
Hostage/Kidnap
Medical
Virus/infection/disease
Hospital
Murder of patients
Crime
Police/detective
Murder
Escape
Stealing/hostages
All of these ideas helped us to decide on our final project which will be based around a medical drama. Using an infection theme, but only introducing the thought of blood shot eyes as part of the infection into our opening scene project.
We made a filming plan for when we start filming in the half term and who is doing what in our group. Also decided on our props, characters and location for all filming so that we are prepared and can get it sorted it quickly when it comes to filming making it easier in the long run.
I wrote up a questionaire to discover what my target audience liked in their films and that would appeal to them if they wanted to watch a thriller film.
What age group are you in?
0-10 (1)
11-15 (2)
16-26 (6)
27-37 (0)
38-50 (1)
50+ (0)
I asked more 16-26 year olds because they are more of my target audience and are the kind of target audience that would watch a thriller film.
I had asked 20 people to pick two of their favourites genres of film to contribute to my thriller research. The thriller genre got the most votes out of the five genres, thus proving that it is most popular for 16-26 year olds in this case.
What sub genre of thriller films do you particularly enjoy? Crime Thriller- (2) Action Thriller- (3) Medical Thriller-(7) Sci Fi Thriller-(3) Psychological Thriller- (3) Other- (2)
The research shows that a medical thriller is most popular, this means maybe including disease or infection in the film. This could possibly help our ideas for the opening scene of the thriller we make.
How often do you watch films? Daily (1)
Weekly (11) Monthly (8) Yearly (0)
What was the last film you saw at the cinema, out of these films? (as many as you’ve seen)
The King’s Speech (6)
Love and other drugs (4)
Tangled (3)
True Grit (2)
Black Swan (14)
The Fighter (12)
Black Swan is the highest picked film with 14 votes, Black Swan could be classed as a thriller which proves it is the genre of film people will want to go and watch.
The genre of thriller has changed a lot through the generations and divided into sub-genres. A thrillers main elements are suspense, tension and excitement, they aim to leave the viewer sitting on the edge of their seat.
The sub-genres include: Crime thriller, medical thriller, psychological thriller, mystery thriller, religious thriller or supernatural thriller. There are more but these are a few of the main sub-genres. Thrillers are very similar to horrors, the main difference is that horror is to scare whereas a thrillers aim is to build tension and suspense. Thrillers are usually to mess with your thoughts and confuse whereas horrors are just to scare.
Thrillers usually involve a villain and then a hero trying to save the day and solve any mysteries that are left standing.
Thrillers have recently become popular as people are being to enjoy the suspense and mystery when going to see a film, instead of being scared; thrillers give them the adrenaline rush.
The beginning of a film is called the opening sequence or opening titles, it uses important information to draw the audience in. It includes logos for distributors, names of directors and actors; if the audience recognise the name as being popular then they will continue to watch the film. It is also used to establish the setting/location of the film and get them intrigued before the main film begins.
Trailer
Trailers are used to advertise the film before it has been released into the cinemas. It would be shown on TV and also in the cinema if it relates to a film that is already out, this way it is more likely to attract the right audience and it will encourage more people to see the film, if it intrigues them. They usually pack a trailer with all the best parts of the film so that it will make a film look really good even if it really isn't, however this can also ruin a film because you've already seen all the best parts.
A thriller film needs to stick to a certain set of conventions; this way it will keep the viewer watching and on the edge of their seat. These conventions include:
Suspense and tension needs to be built up throughout the film to keep the viewer guessing what will happen next.
Each film will usually have a victim for the view to sympathise/worry about throughout the film; usually a women or child.
The beginning of the film will usually foreshawdow what is going to happen later on in the film.
The lighting is normally darkened and muted, to give a sinister and eery effect.
A narrative enigma
A sinister villian adds extra tension to the film.
Usually a crime for a core narrative to film to keep it dark.
Usually over the top and extraordinary events occur.
Set in atmospheric dark places.
A twist throughout or at the end that will throw the viewer completely of track.
A protagonist with a problem can be exploited by the antagonist and the protagonist must solve it.
Non diegetic soundtracks add suspense to a film which can nerve rack a viewer.
Title sequence sometimes reflects on the character's psychological state.
There is often a scene near the end of the film where the protagonist is in danger and this makes the audience wonder if the protagonist or antagonist will win in the end.
Antagonists are predominant through the genre of thrillers.
Sometimes films are left at a cliff hanger to leave the audience on the edge of their seat.
Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez (2005)
Mise En Scene
The opening scene quickly shows the audience a lot about the film, that it is in black and white, apart from the colour red. A woman appears first who we may see as the “femme fatal” like in a film noir. Her dress is red and is the only item that appears in colour, the red suggests something maybe seductive. Also her red lipstick shows up brightly on the black and white surroundings. A man then appears to talk to her and is dressed formally in a suit with his hair slicked back suggesting the two of them are at a formal dinner party or out for the evening. After talking for a while the couple go in for a kiss, as they kiss they become a white silhouette, this suggests that the two characters are close to one another so they have been joined. They also stand out from the backdrop of a very dark city.
Editing
Editing is used well in the opening scene of Sin City, because of the black and white. Everything is in black and white apart from red, the womans dress in the opening is red. This implies that red is an important colour for the film and will be significant throughout the film. It could stand for seductiveness of all the women that are involved in the film, it could also stand for lust that the men have of these women; hence the name of the film sin city. Finally it could stand for murder and blood throughout the film making it perfect for a thriller as it's sinister and mysterious.
Sound
The opening scene starts with non-diegetic sound, jazzy formal music that shows the age of film and also the romantic like setting. This music continues to when the two characters kiss which shows the romance. There is also a narrative from the male character, which takes the audience through what he is doing as he is talking to the woman on the balcony. This makes us feel that he could be one of the main characters but could either be the villain or hero of the film. The narrative and music sets up the rest of the film as being dark and mysterious because we aren’t really sure as to what is yet going on.
Camera Angles
The scene starts with an establishing long shot of the woman walking to the edge of the balcony, this sets up the audience with the fact that she is the focal point of the opening scene. The red dress makes her seem seductive and maybe slightly mysterious to viewers. They start with shot reverse shots of the two characters to show maybe they don't know each other yet and aren't at all close. But by the end of the scene the two characters are in a two shot, showing that their relationship has grown more intimate, which shocks the audience when he shoots the women at the beginning of the opening sequence.
Titles
The titles show the different characters but in a comic book cartoon theme, which shows where the original story was from for the film, but also as it’s in black and white it makes it look more sinister and interesting. It helps the audience to discover the traits of each character before the film has even begun. By showing each characters actor or actress in the titles shows the audience that it has quite a few big names in it, therefore they may become more interested and inclined to watch the film.
Directed by David Fincher and Written by Andrew Kevin Walker
Seven (1995) is a american thriller/horror film based on the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Greed and Wrath. It's packed with gory, graphic and sadistic murders that two detectives, David Mills (Brad Pitt) and William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) must solve before it gets out of hand. To keep the effects of the creepy side to the plot line, the way the film is made and all it's details must be perfected by the creators. There are four important factors that contribute to make the film more authentic to it's genre; Mise en scene, sound, camera angles/shots and Editing.
Mise en scene
Mise en scene is important to completing the entire look of a film, making sure it completely fits to it's genre so it doesn't confuse the audience. The film SE7EN is deep, dark and mysterious it shows throughout mise en scene as settings are all very dark and secretive places, to confuse but intrigue the viewer.
This screen shot is part of an apartment corridor from the film, however you wouldn't expect it to be this dark and dirty in reality. The shadows add even more effect that something may be being hidden from the characters and watchers of the film.
The costumes of the characters are also very important. Pitt and Freeman are both dressed insmart work clothes, they also have guns and badges which will help the viewer to realise they have something to do with the police. The costumes they are always wearing always seem to be dark, there are never any bright colours involved which implies that overall feel of the film is a deep dark secret, even for the "good guys".
During the opening titles of SE7EN, the bible is implied to be a main part of the film as it is a person flicking through a bible. It is important that the colours in the opening sequence are dull and dismal because it portrays the entirety of the film being dark and mysterious; keeping the viewer scared before the film itself has even began.
Sound
In the small clip from the opening credits that is attached, the sounds implies the genre of the film very subtly.
The non-diegetic sound, the track playing; Nine Inch Nails - Closer is very sinister and almost confusing. It messes with your thoughts as it has different types of sounds playing together that you wouldn't usually put together in a track.
With this being the beginning to the film, it implies that what is coming up in the film will also being sinister and confusing, therefore it is foreshadowing the future of the film. This music is key to making this film a thriller because it gives a sense of tension, nerves and slight panic.
Sound is important throughout the film SE7EN as it plays with the viewers mind, keeps them confused and guessing until the final twist to the film. Without the soundtrack in SE7EN it would not be as eerie and mysterious as it is, it plays a very important factor on making sure it is a thriller film.
Camera Angles/Shots
In the opening sequence for SE7En it shows somebody flicking through pages of the bible methodically, looking at photos and somebody cutting his own thumbprints off.
However it is the close up shots that help the viewer to understand what will happen later in the film, as it focuses onto somebody crossing out certain words in the bible.
There are also many shots of photos being cut up and stuck down into a book, this could foreshadow that a character may be stalking another character. It could also imply the idea of a serial killer picking out victims, which will start to make the viewer feel nervous about what is to come, this helps the film to fall under the genre of a thriller.
Editing
The cuts in the opening titles are quite fast straight cuts that go well with the background music, they also fit well to the person flicking through the bible quickly. It also has flashes/shutter effects between each shot, implying confusion of whats going on to build the nerves of the audience. Editing is important between each shot because it shows sinister parts with quick cuts, implying something bad is happening fast.
Titles
The titles for the film reflect what is going to happen in the rest of the film, it is foreshadowing that the entire theme is something to do with a religion as someone is using a bible. It also implies that somebody has committed a murder or crime, because they are cutting of the tops of their fingers to remove fingerprints. Everything included in the titles implies something to do with crime, murder and religion which helps the viewer to understand what they are about to watch.
Firstly we editing all of our footage into the different scenes and gave them all names. This way when we came to putting all of it in order it was simple because we had named each section. After cutting all the pieces into sections we'd put them into the right order and added in dissolves and fades so that it wasn't all straight cuts from scene to scene.
Some of the effects added made Sam seem more sinister and Kit looking more worried and vulnerable.
Finally we added some audio to each scene that gave the scenes and eerie feel when Kit was on her own, whereas when Sam was speaking we left it silent so that all the focus was on her.
The first location that we used was toton sidings near the park and near james' house. It was used for the main character walking up through the path as if it were a normal day. We used the forest type look because it looked slightly creepy and adds to the effect of the thriller genre. The weather on the day was very gloomy and dull which I think added to the effect of being eerie, so the atmosphere on the day worked well and we were very lucky it did not rain. Pathetic fallacy is used because of the weather to foreshadow everything bad that happens later. 
