shooting day

On shooting day we found that there was not as much light in the barn as we had hoped ,however we resolved this problem by adding more candles and propping a door open to let more light in, unfortunately the amount of light has effected the quality of our shots. Another thing we struggled with was keeping to the 180 degree rule when shooting the shots of our names as they were placed around the board. Some shots were also not achievable using the tripod and so were done with out it, it also effected the quality of the shots however it was necessary to get the desired shots.Getting the shots of the dice took quite a while as we had to repeatedly roll them until we got the numbers we wanted. The shot close up shot of the breathing also took a while as although the breath showed up in real life, it didn't show up well on the camera so we had to adjust our lighting by placing candles underneath. The final shot of the eyes also was difficult as the contact lenses were very hard to get in and we had to move to a clean dry place and make it look like the barn we were originally in.

snake shoot

 To get the images of the snakes we needed we went to reptile mania in whittelsey. The snakes we used were pythons, they were the best type of snake to use as they were slow moving and easy to handle so we were able to get the best shots possible. For some of the smaller snakes we used some large sheets of black card for the background, however we had to use a roll of dark carpet for shot of the larger snakes. The main problems we had were controlling the snakes and keeping them in shot, we had to film some shots without the tripod as it was not possible to make it low enough to the floor, however this did mean some shots were a bit shakey.

storyboard

shooting script

els- pans outside barn
ms- high angle shots of board being drawn
cu- side on shots of board being drawn
ecu-hand with chalk
ecu- match being lit
ecu-wick beign lit
ls-zoom out birds eye view of board
ecu- hand with dice
cu- dice rolled
cu-hand writing names
ecu-snake scales

ecu- hand with dice
cu- dice rolled
cu-hand writing names
ecu-snake scales

ecu- hand with dice
cu- dice rolled
cu-hand writing names
ecu-snake scales

ecu- hand with dice
cu-hand writing names
ecu-snake scales
ecu-snake eyes on dice
ecu-snake eyes on snake
ecu-snake eyes contact lenses
ms-title

Questionaire

  Do you prefer cliff hangers or resolved endings? Why?

 Most people said they preferred cliff hangers as it leaves you with a sense of depth and tension" 

"Gives you freedom to make up your own mind about what happens"

"Creates tension right to the end" 

      Would you prefer a female or male protagonist? Why?

       Different genders had different answers majority of boys said that they would like the protagonist to be the man as "they can empathise better with them"

      Most girls said that they would like the woman to be the protagonist as "its uncommon, for them to be the main character and are usually the victim"

<    What are your expectations when watching a thriller?

       Tension

       Suspense

       Hidden messages so the audience can figure things out themselves

      Experiences in real life

        

     These results will now help to identify our target market and aim our thriller towards them

costume/prop ideas

These are our ideas for props and costume. 

Costume: the main character will need to wear dark mysterious clothes to hide their identity  untill the end of the opening when the eyes are revealed. We will borrow a cloak, it will be black and have a hood .
The other piece of costume will be some contact lenses we will buy some yellow snake ones and they will be used for the graphic match of the dice and the eyes.http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=yellow+contact+lenses

Props: The props we will be needing are:
A board- we will need a board as the location we plan to use does not have a concrete floor we can draw on so we will get a piece of plyboard, paint it black and cover it in dirt on location.

Chalk: we will use some white chalk to draw out the board

Candles: we will get some tea lights and place then around the board and use a large candle for the centre, we will alos uses matches to light them. they will contribute to the lighting and will make the atmosphere seem spooky.
Dice: we will use an ordinary pair of dice and repeatedly film then rolling untill we get the required numbers

Snakes: We will find a reptile centre near by and  ask to film some snakes, we will need close up shot and far away

Location Ideas

For our location we wanted to use a very derelic and dark building, in which was room we could use to film ithe main section of our thriller. The room needed to dark enough to look mysterious and gloomy, however we would still need some light perhapse through cracks in a wall so the filming quality would be good.

This is an old barn house we found, it has several room which we could use, however we are plannign to use the largest room with brick walls as it has a small window for light , it also has a large space on the floor wich we could uses for the board and candles. The overall feel of the place is very spooky and cold.

This location wil also be good as we do not need permission to film here and it is out the way of traffic and civilisation so there will be little back ground noises.

Final Idea

For our chosen idea we have chosen to incorperate all our ideas into one, the main narative will revolve around idea one: snake eyes, this will be an opening which uses ideas of a boardgame and chance (dice), it will also use the idea of peoples fears (snakes) and we will use flashes of a snakes to build suspence, finally we will use snakes eyes as a graphic match from dice to some eyes with contact lenses in.
We will then incorperate idea two into the costume as we will make the main character wear a dark cloak to disguse their identity and make them mysterious. we will also use the idea of a shrine and lots of candles to create an eerie atmosphere for the setting. We may also use religuos sounding chants and hyms in the background music.
The thrid idea has been added by the overall uses of fear and fobias, to make it pyschological rather than an action thriller etc...

Thriller Idea Pitches

This is a powerpoint presentation we made to show 3 ideas we have come up with, we presented it to the class to get some feedback on what works well and what may not be practical.

We also took inspiration from films such as 'Jumanji' as we though with a twist the idea could be thrilling as it would all depend on the luck of a dice.

We thought about using contact lenses to create a realistic effect of snakes eyes on a person and we also will find a local reptile centre to film at.

for this idea we took inspiration form costumes and props used in films like 'The Da Vinci Code' as we agreed it gave a very mysterious effect.

One of the key elements of this idea we would focus on is the idea of fire and candles as they would create a very spooky lighting effect, especially if reflecting of a face or other props.

The overall ideas for this idea was to focus on the idea of different peoples fobias and bring them  to there worst nightmare.

We then decided that childhood fears are particularly scary as they can affect many people and  would make a good thriller as music could be made form nursery rhymes etc...

BBFC

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) are incharge of classifying films into age catergories. They do this to prevent young children watching a film that is unsuitable for them to watch. The main things the bbfc look for when deciding on the classification is:

-Discrimination, against either race or gender etc...

-Drugs, drugs should not be glamourised and if they are seen should be taught as a bad thing.

-Horror, frieghtening things which may upset or disturb.

-Imitiable behaviour, acts of violece or crime, these should not be shown as a good thing and use of weapons should be limited.

-Language, offensive launguage, swearing, discrimination.
-Nudity, nudity with no sexual content is often allowed.
-Sex, rated highly, adult catergories.
-Theme, problematic themes such as drug abuse and paedophilia.
-Violence, how much injury is caused, and valid reasons needed.

The catergories used to rate films in suitablility are as follows:

-U, Films classified with this should be suitable for everyone, therefore it should have no discrimination, drugs, acts of crime children could copy, mild violence (such as threats), and very little bad laguage.

-PG, suitable for unacompanied children upto the age of about 8. similar to a U, but with possible unsuitable theme for very young children.

-12, suitable for children aged 12 and over. However a 12a may be watched by a child younger than 12 if accompanied by an adult who thinks the film will be suitable. Use of violence, language, horror, sex, drugs and imitable behaviour can be shown, however must be brief and not influence or be shown in detail.

-15, suiable for people aged 15 and over. similar to a 12 however more detail may be shown.

-18, suitable for anyone aged 18 or over. all areas can be shown in detail such as violence, laguage and sex. 18R, is suitable for anyone over 18, however may only be shown in licensed cinemas.

Institutions

A media institution is a company which will help fund the movie, provide equipment, find suitable cinemas for the film and distribute the film (around the world/to local DVD store).


Different institutions tend to specialise in different genres. For our thriller production we will need to find a suitable institution such as one who has provided for and distributed many thrillers/horrors before.


Miramax is an institution which has worked with many recognisable thriller and horror films such as No country for old men, Reservoir dogs, the scream and kill bill. The institution would be good for our film as it would help develop the film into a successful one as well as have a lot of experience and knowledge about the correct market to distribute the final product to.

Prelim evaluation

our prelim went very well. we used a range of camera shots  such as extreme close ups to show characters emotions and long shots to introduce character. We also used a graphic match in our prelim between the mug and the biscuit, it was used to show time passing. We also used cross-cutting to show the two characters meeting in the corridor. When editing we used straight cuts for most of the shots and fade to black transitions. i also edited the pace quicker towards the end to build tension. The props we used were mugs, a biscuit, a plate,spoon and coffee, these were good because they were realistic for the setting. The costume used was also realistic, however if our actors were adults it would have looked better for the staff room environment. We didn't t really use much lighting as the indoor lights were good. The only sounds we used were two music tracks for which worked very well and were very effective with the western theme. The main problem we had was the 180 rule as when the characters walk into the room we can see mugs on the wall, when they then sit down you can see a different wall. overall it went well.

Prelim Task - Biscuit Showdown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8rVA0YRe7U

prelim planning

We are planning on doing a short western themed scene which involved two people meeting and going for a coffee only to discover there is one biscuit left. The film will be called 'Biscuit Showdown'

Costume:
We plan to use smart/casual clothes, to create the appearance of teacher.
we also want to include smart shoes to create cowboy boot effect.
Setting:
The staff room will be a good setting as it has a counter where we can plug in out props and seats with table in-between.
Props:
For our prelim task we will need bring in two mugs, a biscuit, a kettle, a plate, some coffee and a spoon.
Lighting:
The lighting will be daylight and we will not need to set up and special lights.

The sound for our prelim will be split into two, for the first half we will play:
A fist full of dollars - Ennio Morricone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqjcoTzhaIk
For the second half (when the biscuit is found), this will be played as it is much more dramatic and will make it very tense:
The good, the bad, the ugly - Ennio Morricone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hYV-JSjpyU

Prelim Story Board

1. two characters walking down a corridor (long shot), cross cut between the two shots.
2.Close up of feet also cross cutting between the two people.
3.two people meet and exchange dialogue.
4.walk through door together (match on action)
5.pan around room as one person sits down
6.second person walks over to counter
7.two cups of coffee are made.
8.close up and birds eye view of coffee stirring around, (zoom in)

9.Graphic match and zoom out on biscuit.
10.zoom out to see birds eye view of people and biscuit
11.extreme close up of one persons eyes
12.extreme close up of the other persons eyes
13.extreme close up one person licking lips
14.extreme close up of other person with pen in mouth
15, long shot of two people sat opposite leaning in.
16.over the shoulder shot of  reaching for biscuit

17.Birds eye view of reaching for biscuit

no country for old men

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTbcp2R2yUQ&feature=player_embedded

The first shots in the opening scene are extreme long shots (establishing shots) they are used to show the setting, the setting is very isolated and deserted, we also know it is deserted al there is no evidence of civilisation  this is typical of a thriller as it shows the isolate nature of the setting and therefore how fitting it would be for an attack or crime as the victim would be completely helpless. There is also a narration over the top of the first few clips of the landscape of a man talking about another man, this is done to make us want to keep watching and know who the characters are.

The next shot is of a police man and a mysterious man, the police man is arresting the man. He is kept mysterious as the camera is kept behind him to disguise his identity, none of them speak either meaning we still do not know why they are in this vast landscape and who they are. The costume of the characters give us connotations of time as the police outfit  looks like sheriff outfit and is therefore old, the voice over from the previous clip also told us that it may be set in america because of his accent. The person being arrested is wearing black, meaning he may be bad and out of the ordinary considering the circumstances and setting, it also shows he is a key character as the rest of the landscape and person/props and bland light colours, where as he is wearing all black and so stands out.

The next shot shows both the police man an arrested man in the car. The lighting has been used to express their personalities as the police man is lit brightly representing he is innocent and good, whereas the man in the back of the car is in a shadow to hide his identity and create mystery about his, as well as representing that he has a bad atmosphere. Before this shot we also saw an air canister being put into the car, we do not know what this is for or why it is there. all these factors build up the sense of mystery.

The next shot is then inside what looks like a police station. The police man is on the telephone and describes how the man had some kind of weapon (the air canister). Tension the builds as we see the criminal creep up on the police man, there is no sound, which works just as effectively as using no music at all. The criminal then  suddenly attacks the police man yet his identity is still hidden.

The next shot is to show the struggle of the sheriff as he is being killed by the criminal. It is done by using a birds eye view of his feet franticly struggling, the shoes also leave marks on the floor to show his battle for survival. Once the feet have stopped we then see the concentrated face of the killer to show his determination.

Thriller mise-en-scene

Thriller mise-en-scene

Costumes:
costumes for a thriller usually included very dark clothing for killer/bad person as this makes them seem evil, hooded costumes also adds to a mysterious character as it can hide the face. Even masks can be used to hide faces.

Props:
Common props used in thrillers are things like weapons used for a murder or gadgets and detective equipment used to catch the killer.

Lighting:
Dramatic lighting often sets the mood of a thriller. By lighting the victim brightly and keeping the killer in the dark it creates an innocence about the victim and a dark mysterious personality to the killer. Shadows can also be tension building.

Setting:

settings for thrillers vary depending on the sub-genre. However stereotypical thrillers are often set in either somewhere which appears safe, e.g. home/shower. Or they are set in isolated, uninhabited areas such as woodland or dark streets.

Conventions

Genre	Thriller	Western	Sci-Fi	Gangster	Action
What we see	Knives, crime, detectives, mysterious people.	Tumble weed, horses,saloons, guns.	Space, aliens, experiments, future, planets, robots	Guns, gangs, money, knives, drugs, cars	Casino, guns, spy gear, explosions, bow-ties, modified cars
What we hear	Screams, heartbeats, tension building music, eerie sounds.	Gun shots, broken glass, whistling, wind,metal boots, horses.	Lasers, alien talk, woosh, beep	Gunshots, shouting, traffic, bad mouthing	Gunshots, explosions, gadgets beeping
Typical characters	Innocent young naïve girl, psychopath, detective.	What we see	Alien, traveller, computer	Mafia, gangsters, boss, police	Spy, baddie, glamours girl
Typical Storyline	Innocent victim murdered, pyscho twist, intelligent detective.	What we hear	Travel through space, man from England, world take over	Turf war, drug complication, revenge	Spy kills baddie and fancy event, girl gets in way.
Examples	Psycho, no country for old men, dead calm.	Young guns, true grit.	Amagedon, independence day, startrek	Snatch, godfather	James bond, fast and furious

Shutter Island opening analysis

Shutter island

I am analysing the opening to the thriller film, Shutter Island. The opening narrative shows a boat with two characters approaching a mysterious island. Many of the shots make is a clear thriller as there are many dark gloomy establishing shots and mysterious elements of mise-en-scene about the characters. There is also a key flashback which creates confusion and mystery to the narrative. There is also a constant build of tension as the boat draws closer to the island.

The first shot is an establishing shot which shows a front facing ship coming towards the camera. It is also very centralised which focuses the attention onto the ship. The ship its self is very sturdy and industrial looking, giving the impression it is suited for extreme weather and danger. We can tell this as the weather in the shot is raining and misty this is also an example of pathetic fallacy, reflecting the mood using the weather and is very common in other thrillers. In this case the mist surrounding the boat also makes it seem mysterious and unwelcoming. Another reason the boat appears mysterious is due to the vast amount of ocean around it, this gives the impression that the ship is isolated and has come from a far away place meaning it may have been separated from civilisation for sometime .If you look closely at the boat there is a single figure standing at the front adding to the sense of isolation and mystery as we cannot see the face of the person and they are unaccompanied. There is also little colour in the shot making the atmosphere appear gloomy and dull. The sound in the shot is of crashing waves, this gives a sense of danger to the water below. The other sound to be heard is of the horn, it is played several times and creates suspense and tension.

The second shot is a long shot of a character in a room. The character is centralised and is dressed in a suit, showing he is of importance and his style of hat also gives a rough idea as to what decades it is set in. Although the character is centralised, he is out of focus as the focus is on the chains and handcuffs hanging from the ceiling and lying on the floor. This gives the impression that the boat is possibly a prison boat and gives an eerie feel to the room and what it used for or if it is even still in use. The atmosphere of the room feels unsafe and depressive as the chains represent ideas of violence and torture. The lighting in the room is faint and produces little light which gives an ambiance of little hope. The sounds in the shot are of the chains clanking against each other, adding to the prison like feeling again.

The next shot introduces a second character. It is a medium shot and the new character is centralised and stood at the front of the ship. The weather is still miserable and sets the mood to be dull and dreary.There is little light in the shot, adding to the atmosphere, it could also mean it is either early morning or evening. The conversation between the characters identifies that the character we met earlier is in-charge of the new character making him seem more important knowledgeable. We can also tell by their clothes that their occupation could be a possible detective or a reporter.

The fourth shot I have chosen to analyse is from a flashback scene. It is straight away much more colourful and which would represent a happier/lively time and place. The content of the shot is the man in charge with a girl next to him who appears to be his girlfriend. We can tell this as she is hugging his shoulder and giving him a tie, this shows the connection between them. The clothes in the shot also identify the time the film is set in as the girl is wearing a 50's style dress. The music in the shot is quite eerie and consists of theatrical singing and dramatic effects, indicating a strong powerful moment. There is then a very sudden jump cut back to a shot of loud, violent crashing waves, which may have represented her death.

The final shot is an extreme long shot approaching the island. The main focus is on the pier where the boat is headed. On the pier there is what looks like a hanging frame which immediately indicates danger and dangerous people on the island. There is also figures of four police awaiting the arrival of the ship. The police confirm that the island is dangerous as they cannot be assisted with out police. There is also little evidence of buildings, meaning it is potentially uninhabited and therefore not a nice place to be. The music also gets noticeable louder as the ship approaches the island making it seem very daunting and there is a lot of suspense and tension.

Throughout the scene there is a constant suspense build due to the music gradually getting much louder and the continual ships horn. There is also a great sense of mystery about everything, due the weather, silhouettes,unexplained flashbacks and feelings of isolation and separation. The editing also helped to make the opening build suspense as there were lots of abrupt and quick edits,making things seem more sudden and shocking. 

Overall the key element to making shutter island conventional a thriller was the use of weather and pathetic fallacy to create negative and chilling atmospheres. 

Sound

Sound

There are two types of sound used in films, diegetic and non-diegetic.

Diegetic:

This is sound which is picked up during filming and then used, e.g:

-Talking form characters.

-Noise form objects.

-Music (noise from instruments there).

-Background noise.

It is actual sound which has been filmed on location and can be either on screen or off screen.

Non-diegetic:

sound is sound which has been added to the clip during editing to exaggerate a sound or to add a new sound completely, e.g:

-Narration over a clip.

-Sound effects such as explosions

-Soundtracks.

These must be edited well however to create the illusion that the sound was made by the action happening.

Editing Techniques

Editing techniques

There are different types of editing techniques used to organise footage and sound and link it all together.

Jump cut:

-This is a very quick cut which does not make shots flow together and will show separation between the two shots.

Match on action:

-Match on action is used to show an action. e.g. opening a door. The shots will need to be perfectly times so a shot of the door handle being pushed appears to open a door at the correct time in another shot.

Graphic match:

-A graphic match is used when two shots look similar (have the same outline/shape) and are edited to appear to turn into the other. This can sometimes show a reference to time passing or a connection between the shots.

Shot reverse shot:

-Commonly used in convocations. E.g. the camera is placed on either side of two people talking and will alternate between the two as someone speaks.

Cross cutting:

-This is when two narratives are happening at the same time and the shots will constantly switch between the two, e.g. car chase. This helps to build suspense and tension.

Cut away:

-This is a shot that briefly shows another shot of e.g. a person walking into a house before returning to the original shot.

Freeze frame:

-Pausing the footage to draw attention to a particular moment in the film.

Fade:
-If a shot fades into another it can show a difference in time.

-If a shot fades to black/white it often creates tension and is good for use in flashbacks.

Continuity editing:
-This is the key to a realistic looking film. Shots should flow and there should be no focus on the editing. Mise-en-scence will not suddenly change and it relies on good match on action.

Camera shots, Composition, Framing and Angles.