R2-47 Feedback

Good points

• Good titles
• Nice use of voyerism
• Good tracking shots of car
• Good split screen
• The title is really good
• Good point of view shots, and match on action
• Music added bass
•  The titles looked nice
• The view from the car looked good as it gave a voyeur effect.
• Good camera angles
• Good titles  

Bad Points 

• Could of changed the lighting
• Not enough is told about the storyline
• Non-realistic 
• Shorten the lengths of some clips
• Blurry camera work

Title pane

 TITLE PANE

1.) Lighting
During our opening sequence we used an editing method, this allowed the sequence to be presented with a dull colour scheme which was used to represent this production as a thriller.

2.) Props
Our most significant prop is shown in the title pane. This stick has convincing power and could easily be considered a weapon in a thriller.

3.) Location
The location we used was a dense forest in a rural area. This is a common scenario in a crime thriller as forests are places where not many people go and they also have that creepy feeling to them which adds to the tension when a thriller film is set in that area.

4.) Costume
The costumes we chose were important to our thriller. It represented two different types of characters, one being a middle-class business man who seems happy and confident... While on the other hand we have a mysterious character who keeps his head down low and gives the impression of a violent character by his actions.

5.) Camerawork
This shot we used (close-up on wheel) is used a lot in mysterious scenarios in which a car is involved. It makes the car seem like it is moving on it's own because the driver has not been represented.

6.) Camerawork
This shot shows that the character is not going to be driving his car very far. Which shows that he is definitely after the business man.

7.) Titles
The titles being used during the opening sequence is important in a thriller because the effects normally put on the opening credits gives that tense feeling. The flashing on our text gives a disorientating feeling to the viewer.

8.) Thriller Conventions
A point of view shot is very common when it comes to Thrillers. They give a view of what a certain character can see and makes the disorientating feeling occur again as the shakiness of the camera shows the nerves of our supposed killer.

9.) Thriller Conventions
This still shot was very heavily edited as it gives the feeling of spookiness. The character is shown almost like a ghost to the viewers and with the dark border around the clip it gives a tense and mysterious feeling.

Thriller 2011 Blog

Here is our final cut.

Analysis of a Thriller opening

1408, Directed by Micheal Hafstrom.

The opening sequence in this thriller gives a clear representation of what conventions are need to make a successful thriller. During the opening sequence for this production the location plays an important aspect for the identification of this production being a Thriller, it start with a dark surrounding that imidiately tells the audience that this poduction is a thriller. Along side this set for the location, a mysterious soundtrack is used to overlay the diegectic sound, this is used to increase the tension throughout the scene. The camerawork used throughout this opening sequence specifical identifys specific props or areas in which the audience are wanted to see, for example when the main character enters the first haunted room its uses a long shot to identify the room and then immidiately positions the camera towards the window were it uses a slight zoom fading out into the next scene.

The props use throughout this thriller create a tense atmosphere for the audience as they link well to the story e.g. a dim old fashion room is used, with specific pictures positioned around the room which clearly give a good representation of a haunted room. Also the camera work is positioned to identify these specific props and give the audience a better understanding of what they stand for throughout the production.

Rough cut

Here is the rough of our opening scene for our Thriller.

Some clips are missing and un-edited.

Filming Evaluation

On the day of are filming we arrived at the location to realise are film had to be slightly transformed to fit with the surroundings,  such as having lack of access to a specific area in which our filming was taking place. Although our permission was granted for the area we later realised that a new security system had been installed in the main gates we then walked all the way up to manor house and lodges to find the owner who had given permission to help us gain entry through the gates which denied our vehicle access therefore we had to travel on foot, we couldn't locate the manager therefore to resolve this situation we changed the number of scenes to fit our time schedule, we also changed a number of camera shots to improve the quality of filming as it now all had to be filmed on foot.

The location was well suited for our thriller opening sequence as it fitted well to the genre and added a more eerie effect to specific scene such as the chase scene. The forest also allowed us to allocate ourselves a prop, as we decided not to use the original weapon so we improvised and used a large ferrule.

The costumes used throughout our opening sequence shows a representation for each character and positions them into there seperate roles. Ollie wore a business suit which gave a clear understanding to the audience that he was returning from work when he is followed by a hooded stranger.  We used a range of camera shots and angles to enhance the effect on how the audience see what is being constructed throughout the scene and the different conventions that are being used.

Sound track and Title sequence combined

Production Companies

Hammer Film Productions: 

A production company based in the united kingdom, found in 1934 this production company was best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid 1950's up until the 1970's. Hammer Film Productions also produce a number of different genres being; Science Fiction, Thrillers, Film Noir, comedies and also a television series. Hammer Horror had low budgets but still produced many successful productions, this success was due to a distribution partnership with major united states studios such as 'Warner Bros'. 

Warner Bro's: 

''Warner Bro's Entertainment Inc'', also known as ''Warner Bro's''  is an American producer of film and television entertainment. Warner Bro's was first founded in 1918 (as Warner Bros. West Coast Studios), 1923 (as Warner Bros. Pictures). Warner Bro's introduced famous cartoons such as looney toons and Merrie Melodies. 

Coffee Film: 

Established as a short film collective playing with camcorders in 1996, Coffee Films incorporated in 2003 and within a year was recognised as one of Europe's best young production companies.Well into their second decade they are currently developing and producing a slate of exciting feature length projects including "Lucid" a psychological drama/thriller.

Blast! 

Blast! Films was established in 1994 for the production of high-profile, distinctive documentaries about compelling human stories around the globe. Documentaries are still at the heart of what they do, but as they have grown, they work in a range of different genres particularly drama documentary, opera, TV drama and feature films. 

21st century 3D:

21st Century 3D is a full-service stereoscopic 3D motion picture production company with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. this company provides cutting edge stereoscopic 3D live action and animation production services. With over 17 years experience, 21st Century 3D can guide you through every aspect of the 3D process.

Call Sheet

R2-47 The Following Call Sheet

View more documents from Media Studies.

Storyboard Thriller Opening

Storyboard

Filming methods

Throughout our 2-3 minute opening sequence for a thriller film, we will be looking into all the elements that form a successful thriller production and adding them into ours. We will ensure that all the micro elements; camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene are added into our opening sequence and used to represent the different conventions of a thriller productions.

Camerawork: A large variety of different shots will be used during our opening sequence to specify the type of genre and make sure that the audience have a clear understanding that it is a thriller production. For example one camera shot that will be used is an establishing shot, which will be used during our opening sequence to show the audience that one of the characters are being followed, this shot fits well with the genre of our production as it brings a sense of tension and suspense to the scene in which its used.

Editing: When our opening sequence has been successfully film we will move onto the editing, this will give the overall film a huge transformation and will be editing using colour change which will be darkened to fit more into thriller conventions, creating a better appeal for the viewers. This colour change will be created using photoshop.

Sound: Sound will be an important factor throughout our opening sequence for a thriller production, as it is used to build tension during different scene and also adds a much more dramatic effect to the chase scene in our opening sequence. An up-beat tempo will be added during the chase scene on our opening sequence as it builds a sense of danger to the scene.

Mise-en-scene: costumes, props, lighting, colour and objects will all be added into our opening sequence to create a more realist effect for the audience.

Sonic Moodboard

We made a sonic moodboard to help show the key items we will require in our thriller film. If we were to ever need to find our prop list or couldn't remember what we needed for our film... We could use the sonic moodboard as a way to remember what items we need and their importance.

Thriller Test Footage

To get ourselves prepared to create our thriller film we thought it would be a good idea if we tested out some key shots that will be included in our Thriller film. We wanted to do this because it will help determine if we will be capable of using these shots in parts of our film.

The shots we did were the establishing shot, tracking shot and two clips with point-of-view shots. We will need these shots, for example the establishing shot for showing the location and forest which is crucial to our clip. The tracking shot to show the victim running through the forest and point-of-view shot to show the view of the attacker.

Because our clip showed a lot of brightness which made it seem like it wasn't a thriller. To fix this we used video filter editing tools. The tool we used was the Colour Corrector. We could change the strength/brightness of the whites/blacks and mid-tones/saturation. Our main correction was to remove saturation from the clip so it had a black and white feel to it which made it seem a lot darker. We also slowed down the clip to 70% as this give it extra disorientation which is key in a thriller.

Article-Key Points (Christians)

Key Points:

Throughout this article it represent many factors of how film productions become successful or not, the main insperation towards an production is to connect the audience with the film. Many methods of attractions are used to bring the audience closer to the action e.g. over exagerating scenes in which decisions are needed to be made. This specific section of a film gives the audience the opportunity to position themselves in the characters role and decide on what they would do if they were in this position.

This article also tells us that one reason people having such an attraction towards films is that they never fit into reality and will always share extraduinary differences to any real life situation e.g. heros are always represented as the strongest character and can perform un-explainable actions which would never happen in reality.

Horror is thought to share different factors in comparision to the other genres throughout the filming industries, and have an inspiration towards its audience that no other shares. Horror productions show and un expaniable desire to why the audience enjoys watching extreme violance and gor, but yet the audience do enjoy watching.

Thriller Opening Sequence - Plan

Birdbrook - Moynes park
Costumes
Christian - Dark coloured clothes and shoes, hoody to cover his head and face.
Ollie - White shirt with red tie, black blazer and black trousers and either black plimsolls or formal shoes.

Props
Car
Mallet
Fake Blood
Fake Bruising
 
Day Plan  
Shot one - PoV of the driver looking at the victim walk up the road/pathway. Inside of the car visible.
Shot two - Long shot of victim walking up the road/pathway with

Feedback on 'The Following'

Questions asked:
Do you have a car to use?
yes we will be using christians car.

Where will your film be set? what forrest?
Moynes park, haverhill.

How many characters are shown throughout your opening sequence?
there will be three characters used throughout the opening sequence.

what shots will be used?
Long shot, close up, mid shot, tracking, panning, handheld, canted angle.

what use of editing will shown?
continuous editing.

What props will be used throughout the opening sequence?
Car, piece of ripped clothing, hammer, dark clothes.

what soundtrack will be used?
classical non diegetic music, diegetic sounds e.g. characters running.

Comments:
Was different in comparison to a number of thrillers, which is a positive.

The following-final Idea

Name - The Following
Sub Genre - Crime/action Thriller
Set - Dark, Foggy, Mysterious, Countryside lane.
Opening Scene Plot - Derick waiting in his car, in a quite country lane early in the foggy morning, knowing his  ex-bestfriend 'Ollie" will have set off for work. Derick wants revenge on Ollie as he was unfaithful with his girlfriend and lied to him. As the guy walks past in the morning, Derick follows him in the car. While Ollie's walking he knows somethings up, so start to run. Derick sees him running and decided to go on foot and chase him through a forest but looses him. He eventually finds him, but the twist is, when he finds him he's already dead, someone else got to him first. 


Location: forest - isolated area in which the murder can remain hidden.

In the beginning we intend to establish our ideas as an action thriller, As there is a chase scene in the opening sequence. 


Who's is the killer?
who is the victim?
reasons for murder? 
why it is set in this location?


camera shots: 
quick cuts used to increase speed throughout chase scene. 
tracking shots used when following characters.


Key Point: End of the opening camera zooms in on a peice of clothing that has been accidently left behind by the killer, brings the investigation to a start and traces are followed up.  


Lighting: A dark setting to increase the tension throughout the scene.

Opening Sequence Idea's

1.
Name - The Following
Sub Genre - Crime Thriller
Set - Dark, Foggy, Mysterious, Countryside lane.
Opening Scene Plot - A killer waiting in his car, in a quite country lane early in the foggy morning, knowing his  ex-bestfriend will have set off for work. The killer wants revenge on his ex-bestfriend as he cheated on his girlfriend and lied to him. As the guy walks past in the morning, the killer follows him in the car. The guy walking knows somethings up, so start to run. The killer sees him running and decided to go on foot and chase him through a forest. The killer looses him. He eventually finds him, but the twist is, when he finds him he's already dead, someone else got to him first.

2.
Name - Missing
Sub Genre - Psychological Thriller
Set - Everyday life.
Opening Scene Plot - Things seem to go missing and no-one knows why, is it a paranormal activity, or is someone playing tricks. People start getting scared and start going crazy. The opening scene shows one event of something going missing, which get the audience thinking. Very mysterious.

3.
Name - Conscious
Sub-genre - Psychological Thriller
Set - Populated City
A man is walking through a city... Looking lost and not knowing what is going on around him. He sees everything in a disorientating way with people looking more scary than they are. He looks confused, worried and very full of panic. He sees a man lying on the floor and doesn't show too much concern but looks back at the man's face and recognizes it... A flashback begins. MYSTERIOUS?

4.

Name: Anonymous 

Sub genre: Action thriller

set: ollies mums house 

Opening sequence: An anonymous character is browsing the Internet social site 'Facebook' when he selects a teenage school boys profile and looks into the personal details given about him. This anonymous character then hunts him down and secretly spies on him finding out information on his personal life.  

Analysing a Post Student Video

P1-05 Thriller Project - Suspect

A steady shot is used throughout the whole clip to a level three standard. The camera is also very steady whilst on a  zoom shot and also when the camera tracks. This makes the opening scene look professional, however as its a thriller they could of shook the camera to give a distorted view, and make it more mysterious. 

At the begging of the opening scene the shot is framed very well, by including branches from a willow tree to overfill the frame, and this makes it a good, mysterious opening as you can only just see the victim through the branches.
However the framing at 0:35 needs to to exclude the white object that fills up a third of the frame, it does make it a little distorted but it doesn't look very professional. 

There is a good range of shot distances at appropriate times. There is uses of close shots,medium shots, and long shots, for example when the victim is being followed there is a good long shot across a large green/park of both characters within the shot.

  The mise-en-scene is mostly good in the opening scene. The bad person in the clip is wearing dark,black clothing this is normally the stereotypical colours a murderer/bad person is assigned to. However the lighting isn't to good, it's supposed to be a thriller, which are supposed to be mysterious. And the light set doesn't make it this, it would of been better if the could of made it darker, either using software on a computer or if they shot it at a later time in the day.

A key prop used is the knife in the victims hand, which is introduced to the audience with a zoomed shot, giving us a close up on the object. This is a key shot because this tells the audience there will most probably be a death, but it also describes the character showing he is weak, but also dangerous.  

Marking Criteria

Level 3 (36-47 marks)

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:

- holding a shot steady, where appropriate;
- framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;
- using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
- shooting material appropriate to the task set;
- selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;
- editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer;
- using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set;
- using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
- using titles appropriately.

Level 4 (48-60 marks)

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

- holding a shot steady, where appropriate;
- framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;
- using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
- shooting material appropriate to the task set;
- selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;
- editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer;
- using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set;
- using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
- using titles appropriately.

Evaluation of Opening Scene of Memento

Opening few seconds of Memento

Memento

The opening sequence of Memento shows the credits layered on top of the background video. This is a common way of opening modern films.

In the foreground you see a hand holding a picture which shows a man against a wall with massive amounts of blood. This gives a disturbing image which makes the viewer want to know what the photo is all about. As the clip continues, you see the man shaking the photo which is meant to make it more clearer as it was taken with an older camera which uses ink. Oddly though the opposite effect occurs when he shakes the photo which makes it go back to it's original state before it was shaked. This gives a distortion of reality disruption of time, repetition + loss of memory.

The image after it has been shaken

Sound

The sound in the opening sequence is slow paced and done by violin. Stringed instruments give a very tense sound and this makes the sound heard give a dramatic + mysterious feeling. When the protagonist is shown completely, he is shown sitting on a bed and you hear him talking, but his lips don't move which means he is speaking through his thoughts. This gives a stream of consciousness and makes this character seem more like he doesn't know what is happening around him and so he uses his mind the majority of time.

Psychological Thrillers

A psychological thriller is a thriller which is based on the use of the mind. It normally refers to a person's memory, identity and perception, common uses of the memory are amnestic or identity-related to make a enigma.


Identity
Can include mistaken, stolen or dual identities as well as amnesia. Identity can add confusion to the thriller, adding a whole new level to an enigma, often, even the protagonist will be confused about his or her identity.


Memory
Memory ties in with identity through amnesia, often, the protagonist is the one who is having trouble with his or her memory, the problems could be of suffering from, and being tortured by traumatic memories, from the loss of a memory or even the inability to make new memories at all.


Reality and Perception
People's perceptions are commonly explored, with what is and isn't real. These are commonly shown from the viewpoint of multiple characters by showing their PoV or what surrounds them which is to show what they percept. 

Opening Scene of "The Birds"

'The Birds' is a thriller, so has many thriller conventions. The open title text is done in a old-fashioned way because in old films the opening titles, where today the titles show only the main people involved, instead show all people. Also, the way the text appears on the screen is somewhat disorientating. After the opening credits the opening sequence is done in a stereotypical fashion, an establishing shot is shown to set the scene and introduce the main character by keeping her as the main focus of the frame (using a tracking shot).

This classic thriller was filmed in 1963, it is shown to be old fashion as the credit are positioned at the beginning were as the credits are based at the end of productions created in these days. It also uses a basic form of editing for the opening sequence, using only black and white colours while introducing the cast for this film. The colour black is generally associated with death and misery, which fits into the theme of this production. The high contrast between white and black is used to represent opposites, in this film the black birds may represent death or something bad, and the white background may represent freedom.

 

"The Birds" opening scene is set in San Fransisco, America. The blonde woman is surrounded by large skyscrapers, trams and busy streets which helps communicate where the location is set and that it's very densely populated. The woman is well spoken and wears a blazer, pearl jewellery and has good posture, showing her as a stereotypical member of the upper-middle class.

 

We are also introduced to a male character. He also come across as an upper-middle class sort as he wears a suit, tie and a hat. He is also rather well spoken and has a good posture. Also, both the characters are in a shop, which looks to be an upmarket place, as it has large gold cages.

The man is shown to be of higher status than to woman as, when he and the woman are talking, he is given a low angle shot, where as she is given a normal close up, and he takes up more of the frame in the over the shoulder shot, so he is shown to be more important. 

 

PRELIMINARY Task

Here is our Preliminary Task... We did a simple conversation.