Rough copy - Miss Miller

As a group we had created a rough copy which we then presented to our class and teachers along with a powerpoint explaining why each element was used within our opening sequence.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TFiGapK1e0

The purpose of creating our rough copy and then presenting it was to gain others peoples perspectives on how we could improve our opening sequence. The suggestions and criticisms we received were very constructive and helpful, for example some comments said;

• More sound effects should be used to create a larger impact on the audience.
• The editing should be faster to build up the suspense.

We took the comments on board and decided to add more sound and speed up the editing, this has made our opening sequence a lot more professional and conventional to the thriller genre. We added in a constant soundtrack within the background of our sequence that begins when the killer is first seen, this is used to emphasis the danger of the character. We also added in sound effects to enhance things such as the footsteps through the forest which are loud due to the build up of suspense, we also added in a heartbeat sound effect for the victim during the chase scene to relate to the audience as they all have a heartbeat that they have experienced fasten in scary situations.

We also received positive comments such as;

• Very clear narrative
• Good variety of camera angles
• Well presented credits

The positive comments made us realise what not to change within our opening sequence, because of this we carried on presenting our credits in similar ways to keep pleasure for the audience. The feedback we received was very helpful as it was from people who fit into our target audience, as they are in the age group of 16-17, therefore we have made our opening sequence suitable for our specific audiences pleasures. 

Planning editing styles - Miss Georgiou

Editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking, and is used to connect to the audience by creating different emotional responses. Editing is important because it can change the whole atmosphere of the film, e.g. a very fast edited sequence will create a lot of excitement and a very slow edited sequence will create suspense. 

Within our opening sequence we will use many editing effects to help set the narrative and connect to the audience. One main editing style we will use will be timing of shots, this is when within the editing stage some shots are either edited slower or quicker to add emotional impact or to create suspense. This is a very useful editing style to use as it can can be used in many different situations within the sequence, for example; quicker editing when the girl is being chased to create suspense and slower editing when the girl is hiding to create an emotional impact towards the character. This will help connect to the audience as they will have an emotional connection towards the situation within the opening sequence. This editing style is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates emotional responses that all conventional thriller films create, for example; suspense is a very big emotion desirably created throughout all thriller films and it will created throughout our opening sequence.

Another editing style that we would focus on within our opening sequence would be the kuleshov effect, which is when two shots are put together to give the audience a third meaning. This effect would be used when the girl is first being followed, the audience can see the girl being nervous and worried and they can see the killer behind her with a hammer. From this they receive a third meaning that he wants to follow her and kill her, this is a third meaning that they have assumed. This editing style will help connect the audience to our opening sequence, as they will be interested in the narrative and characters. This editing style is conventional to the thriller genre as there is always mystery involved within thrillers to help create the three S's; suspense, shock and surprise. Thrillers aim to create these three S's as they entertain the audience which is the aim of all movies.

The third main editing effect we will use within our opening sequence will be the wipe, which is when one part of the screen moves away to wipe another. This will be used at the very end of our sequence when the phone is the only thing on the screen ringing, once the phone is wiped the end of the scene will suggest that the victims life has been taken. This will help connect to the audience as they now know the main focus of the film is the killer and they will want to carry on watching to see what happened to the victim and what the killer will do next. This editing style is conventional to the thriller genre as the wipe stereotypically represents death, which in this case represents the death of the female victim. Death is a major convention within thrillers because it create shock, which engages the audience to the rest of the narrative. 

Opening scene narration - Miss Miller

The narrative for our opening sequence is a teenage, blonde girl on her way home from her friends house, she enters an alley and then turns into a road, while the killer makes hes first appearance when he is revealed behind her.

• For this shot we used many different angles to establish the character and the setting, therefore we used mostly long shots and mid shots.
• The lighting used was a natural lighting as we was outside, however gradually the lighting became darker as the night approached.
• For the shot of the killer we used a long shot that helped create effect as he was in line with the victims body and as she turned away he began to hit hes hammer showing a very disturbed hidden agenda.

 She then begins to feel as if she is being followed, this makes her paranoid so she turns around to check and nobody is there however this does not ease her worry. She decides to cross the road and enter a field.

• For this shot we used handheld to create a jerky and unstable atmosphere as the victim is feeling very paranoid and unsafe. Other shots used are long shot and mid shots as the setting is constantly changing so we choses to keep establishing it.
• An editing affect is used on the handheld shot when the killer is watching the victim, this shows an unhinged behaviour from the killer.
• The lighting remains the same, natural from the surroundings, however as the victim is walking through the alley leaves and bushes block out a lot of light for form a mild aspect of low key lighting.

As she begins to enter the field she here's a loud noise from behind her, she turns around quickly to see there is the killer standing behind her dressed in all black, with hes face covered as he is holding a hammer.

• We used handheld again to make the transition of shots quicker and more effective to the audience, the audience also get to experience the victims perspective which helps create a relationship between the two.
• The camera is never held close or for a long period of time on the killer as we hoped this would create more mystery and keep hes identity hidden more effectively.
• The lighting is still natural to the setting and no extra light is being used from artificial sources.

 She decides to run further into a forest, while she keeps turning back to check for him and he is getting closer and closer, she then falls over a large stick and hides behind a tree.

• As she is running through the forest the last handheld shot is used, throughout the duration of the chase scene. This is used to create fear and suspense for the audience as they can see how close the killer is behind the victim and the struggle she faces trying to move fast through the forest.
• The lighting is beggining to get darker therefore low key lighting is being used. This creates danger and suspense for the audience watching.

 The killer walks in the opposite direction so suggest the victim will survive, however then killer grabs her and drags her from behind out of the camera view.

• The shots used now consist of mid shots and a close up. The close up is used when the victim is hiding and waiting for her chance to escape, her face is very distressed and worried therefore we chose to use a close up to highlight her emotions.
• The lighting at this point is very dark, the low key lighting makes the scene much more scary and conventional to the thriller genre.

The final scene is of her phone ringing again on the floor with her unable to pick up, this suggests she is dead.

• The shot used for this is a high angle which represents the killer having the superior power over the victim, the shot of the phone also suggest the victim has been murdered.
• The lighting is very dark to highlight the phones screen once it starts to ring.
• The ID of the person calling is anonymous, this is because it represents danger and also projects enigma as the identity of the caller is hidden which is simular to the killer.

We believe a lot of our improvements will be made through the editing stage, this is because our opening sequence involves a lot of different angles, shots and no sound. We will add in a lot of sound effects to enhance the noises of things such as; leaves crunching, heavy breathing and heartbeat, as this will create a lot more of an effect.

Risk assessment and filming schedule - Miss Georigou

 There was few possible hazards during filming our opening sequence which we took careful precautions to avoid, doing this is very important during production because it makes it easier and more efficient to record, here is our risk assessment table;

We also made a filming schedule which is very important as it is very helpful for us to follow and avoids being time consuming. Even though we did not follow the schedule exactly, we only made changes when we were unable to follow the directions for example when it became to dark to record because of this we had to change our originally planned ending. However we believe this could possibly benefit our opening sequence. Here is the filming schedule;

 

We made several changes in terms of our filming schedule, due to factors such as bad weather, when the weather was wet we could not film incase the next time we filmed the setting appeared vastly different due to the dry floor and dark sky. We also has to refilm due to the material we had was too dark to use, however there was a downside to this as the lighting change was not as accurate as it could have been. We also faced trouble as the leaves had fallen off the trees which we tried to work around so that it was not noticed by viewers.

Production roles - Miss Miller

Within films there are many different production roles that need to be taken control of, different people are assigined specific roles which are capable to their ability in order to create a good quality film. Roles include;

• Producers
• Directors
• Actors
• Director of photography
• Music producer
• Screenplay writer
• Mes coordinator
• Editor

Production roles are used to provide organisation and consistency, everyone knows what role they have and can focus on that specific job. If a certain production member needs to change something or discuss a certain aspect of the film they know exactly who and where to go to do this. This results in the filming and editing becoming less tom consisting, as the film can produced as efficiently as possible. Production roles also allow the film to be consistent as each person knows how to do their job and keep at the same quality throughout, whereas if roles were not allocated then the quality of each job would be non consistent and the film would not be to a acceptable quality.

Within our opening sequence we were all allocated 2 roles each and we share the two remaining roles. My two roles consisted of producer and director, I was appointed these roles because we decided I had the most leadership qualities and was not scared to show authority. As the producer I had to arrange the meeting times and places, as well as assigning the roles of each actor, this meant I had a lot of responsibility and had to spend a lot of time organising each detail of the opening sequence. My other role was director, this meant I had to check each individual clip recorded and decide whether to retake and what to change about each one. I also have to role of over viewing our final piece, once I have I can give my opinion on any changes I feel should be made.

Tom was allocated the role of editor, which meant he had to cut each clip down and place them in chronological order to make each different angle run smoothly into the next one. Once this is done he needs to add in sound and editing styles which will make the opening sequence conventional to a thriller, eg adding in heaving breathing and a heartbeat. This is a very important role within our group, therefore myself and Scott will also be available to help out and attempt to edit our clips so that we have the experience and knowledge on how to do this. Tom was allocated this role because he has experience from editing our preliminary task and he has good technique on how to cut and copy each clip.

Scott was allocated the role of director of photography (camera man) for this Scott had to place the camera in the angles and positions he believed were appropriate to create effect on the scene. We had a camera stand which we could rotate and change heights of the camera, this came in very useful for us to find the right angle to record at. As having such a large responsibility, I also helped Scott with the recording by giving him my opinions and taking it in turns to record. Scott was chose for this role as we believed he was the most creative out of the three of us, he came up with new ideas on how to film the scenes which we believe will benefit our final opening sequence.

For each role that was allocated, there was a reason behind each decision. Reasons behind me being chose for the roles of director and producer was that we all believed I had the most verbal confidence and creative ideas to use whilst filming. As director I told them how to approach each of there tasks and as producer I orangised most of the details for meeting times and settings, I beleieve I did a good job therefore I was the best choice for both of the roles.
Tom was allocated as the actor for the killer, we chose him because he is tall, which is a very conventional quality killers tend to have within thrillers. Tom was also allocated the role of editor, which was because he edited our prelimary task and therefore had the knowledge and skills to edit our material.
Scott was chosen as camera man because we believed he had a good perception as to how we wanted our thriller to be filmed, he contributed a lot to our narrative therefore had a planned view of our opening sequence in hes head. I believe he did a very good job, however I shared the role of director of photography as Scott was busy one day. This could have been a weakness within our filming however I believe it strenghtened our opening sequence as a new perspective on the filming gave our opening sequence a positive effect.

Planning opening credits - Miss Georgiou

In a motion picture, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There may or may not be accompanying music. 

Within the opening sequence from se7en the opening credits are written in white font, this was to stand out from the setting which was filmed in low key lighting. The font was very jerky and handwritten which emphasises danger, this is an effective use of design. The music within the background was also very effective as it is very high pitched and fast paced which creates excitement and adrenaline for the audience. The individual names within the opening credits change to the beat of the music and with the image on the screen, this is a very professional way to present the credits and creates a very strong effect on the audience.


Within the opening credits for Shutter Island the font is written in red, which implies danger and blood, this represents the death and mystery used within the film, the red font also stands out against the dark setting used. Very eery and dark music is used within the background to create suspense and tension for the audience, conventional to a thriller as they want the audience to be on edge. Iconography was also used including guns, jail cells, chains, matches ect; these objects all portray the thriller genre as they are all negative and represent danger. 

Opening credits in thrillers are used to set the atmosphere of the film, they do this by normally being written in a handwritten font to make the audience feel unstable and builds anxiety, they are also normally written in an opposite colour to the contrast of the opening scene. E.g. when the scene is dark, normally set in night with low key lighting, either red or white font will be used to stand out and represent either flesh or blood and when the setting is in a more brighter lighting, black font is used to stand our and represent death. 

Our opening sequence will include red coloured font, as this connotes death and danger, it will also be written in a handwritten, slightly jerky font, this connotes an unstable and unpredictable narrative. We will put our credits in the conventional order of appearance, which will be to put the actors names first, followed by the producers, cameramen, editors, filmmakers, director ect; followed by the title of the film in a larger and bolder font. We will have the music from the opening sequence included instead of a continuous soundtrack suitable to the credits, we will also have the credits placed in various parts of the screen, to avoid interference with the actual opening sequence. 

Our credits will be used in a very authentic font to represent a spooky and retrospective effect, they will be placed in different corners of the screen to avoid clashing with the narrative. The colours we will use for all of the credits will be black, as this colour represents death and mystery, however the film title will be white as it will be shown against a black background. Editing effects will be used for the credits to transfer on and off the screen, this will be used to represent professionalism. We will use credits for the production roles in this order;

• Film title - Aphotic
• Production company - Grey house production
• Actors - Sophie Ledwith & Tom Tovey
• Producer - Devon Thomas
• Director of photography - Scott Arbuckle
• Editor - Tom Tovey
• Director - Devon Thomas

Sound planning - Miss Miller

Sound refers to everything we hear in a movie such as; words, sound effects, and music. Sound is used in film to heighten a mood, provide us with information about the location of a scene, advance the plot, and tell us about the characters in the story.

Within our opening sequence many sound effects are used to change the atmosphere and connect the audience to the characters. Non-diegetic sound is the most common sound technique used throughout the clip, it is sound or music that is added in, during the editing stage. Non-diegetic sound is used when the victim is hiding behind the tree, heavy breathing and a heart beat noise is used. This technique is effective as it emphasises the fear the character is feeling, and the noises are relatable towards the audience as they can connect to her through the beat of her heart. Other non-diegetic sound that is used involves the sound track used as the victim is being chased. A fast paced, high pitched soundtrack is used to create suspense and excitement for the audience. These uses of non-diegetic sound are conventional to thrillers as they create an emotional response for the audience including suspense and tension.

 

Diegetic sound is music or sound that belongs within a frame, that is an natural part of the narrative, it is used in the opening sequence when the phone is ringing at the end. Within the whole opening sequence there is not much diegetic sound used, as we are creating effect using editing techniques and cinematography, however the sound used from the phone ringing being real highlights the importance of the scene. The phone ringing also signifies the death of the victim therefore needs to be emphasised. This is conventional to a thriller film as the representation of death is very common within thrillers.

 On screen sound is when you can see and hear where the sound is coming from within the film, it is used when the victim is running through the forest. As the victim is running leaves are being crunched on the floor, the setting of the forest is shown in the camera therefore the audience can see the sound coming from the leaves. This connects to the audience as they can hear the same noises they would if they was in the same situation. 

Silence is used within our opening sequence when the phone is laying on the ground at the end of the scene, this sound technique is used to represent the victims death. The silence represents her life being over, it also portrays the life coming out of her, however we do not confirm the death of her as we do not show her being murdered. We believe this is a very important sound technique to use in thrillers and it is conventions towards them as it normally represents the ending of an equillibrium or represents the begining of one.

Group storyboard - Miss Miller

From creating individual storyboards, we then had more creative and much more entertaining ideas for our opening sequence. We conferred over our individual storyboards and then developed a group one in which we will used to film our sequence. When conferring we each had an idea which was added into our final storyboard, therefore we all made a useful contribution.

Tom had decided to include the alley way within our sequence, the alley way was considered because it offers a lot more enigma and danger before the chase scene begins as the victim cannot see what is behind her and around each corner she turns. We all discussed the idea and then decided to use the alley way and added in the killer standing at the top watching over her. However we struggled with trying to find a forest with an alley way near it, although we didn't want to lose the idea so we had worked out a place that will be appropriate. We believed including an alley way within our opening sequence as well as using the forest, would create even more suspense and fear for the audience to watch.

Scott's idea was to change our weapon from a knife to a hammer, we immediately agreed with this as it is a much more appropriate weapon for a deranged killer. The knife is very stereotypical weapon which we do not want to use as stereotypically most sane killers use, we want our killer to seem as insane as possible. However we wasn't sure how to fake the killing scene using a hammer as a weapon so we decided not to show the actual death, this is also benefited us because it leaves the audience in suspense. The hammer portrayed the killer to be as deranged as possible as it is a very violent weapon choice that is not commonly used within thriller films, this breaks the codes of conventions however worked better for us within our opening sequence.

My idea was to have the phone ringing in the last scene, the ringing phone would represent how she is unavailable to answer and implies her death. The phone would relate to the audience as they all have one and can understand the difficult situations they get into because of them. However we had difficulty in discussing who's name would appear on the screen. We considered using an 'Unknown' name to imply the killer was the one ringing to find out her whereabouts, however we struggled finding a reason as to why he would ring again once he had killed her. We decided to use the phone to be emphasised on instead of a piece of clothing or jewellery because it creates a stronger and longer impact on the audience. This is because her only way of escaping the killer is receiving help, which she cannot get without her phone to contact anyone, therefore we highlight how she has left her phone behind to imply she is almost indefinitely dead.

Creating a group storyboard has helped our filming in a very positive way as we had a better idea on how to film each scene, this made our filming more efficient and easier. Completeing the story board as a group also positively effected our filming as we each contributed to create better and more creative ideas. However a negative to having created a storyboard is that when we changed our ideas we found it hard to film as we had a set our schedules.

Character planning - Miss Miller

Within our opening sequence there is two characters featured throughout of it, the characters include a female victim and a derranged killer. The purpose of characters within films is to give the audience something to connect with and focus on, they also project the narrative to make it entertatining and give it purpose. Without characters there wouldnt be much point within films because there would be no narrative to help entertain the audience.

Female victim
Our victim is blonde female, which is a very stereotypical element used within thriller films. Females are often associated with being vulrunable and innocent which is a strong representation of our victim as she will be naive and weak for the killer to catch her and kill her. The audience will be able to connect with this character because our target audience is of a similar age to the victim, therefore they can relate to how the victim is responding to her situation. Representing our victim as innocent also helps create emotions for our audience as they will empathise for her and want her to escape the killer, this means the audience will be much more engaged within the narrative.

Killer
Our killer is a tall male, which even though you cannot see hes true identity the build of the body makes it very obvious as to the gender of the killer. A male is used to represent a masculine, powerful being who is close to being invincible. The audience can connect to the killer because he is a stereotypical character used within thriller films, therefore they can compare existing thriller villains to the killer within our film. The killer character is also known as being deranged which will engage the audience as they want to find out what the true motive of the killer is.

This character planning post has been useful within our planning for our opening sequence of a thriller film because we know how to portray our characters in terms of connecting with the audience and applying to thriller conventions. This will help make our opening sequence more entertaining and technically good.

Cinematography planning - Miss Miller

Cinematography is the art of photography and camerawork in film-making, it is used to create a much more engaging film. Within our opening sequence we will be using many different camera shots to help create certain connections and emotions for the audience.

One main camera shot we will be using quite frequently will be the establishing shot, for example when the victim is being followed down the road and into the forest as it shows the audience the setting and characters. This will also connect to the audience as it lets them consider there own prediction of how the scene will finish. The shot is conventional to a thriller as it is normally used to show the audience the setting which in this case is the dark, derelict forest which causes suspense for the audience watching as it is a stereotypical scary environment.

Another camera shot that will be used within our opening sequence will be low angle, which will be used when the killer is at the top of the alley holding the hammer. This shot will be used to emphasise how powerful and superior he is, therefore the audience become aware of how he is stronger than the victim. This is very common in thrillers as it highlights who the villain is and how he is invincible. Another similar shot that will be used within our opening sequence will be high angle, which will be used when the victim is hiding behind the tree and the camera is held above her. This shot will be used to make her seem very weak and vulnerable towards the killer. This is another stereotypical camera shot to use within thrillers and there is always inferior victims that cannot be saved.

Over the shoulder shot is a very important shot that will be used within our opening sequence as it is used to create a lot of effect and suspense during the chase scene as you can see the killer behind her while she is running away. However whilst this shot is being another camera shot will be connected with it, which is the focus shot, it will be used to put the killer in main focus of the screen while she is in front of him. We will also be considering using handheld during thee chase scene as this is a very conventional effect during many recent thriller films, the handheld effect creates a jerky and unstable atmosphere.

Planning mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise-en-scene is the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play, there are five elements of this which are; lighting, settings, costume, cinematography and body language/facial expressions.  Mise-en-scene is used to inform the audience of the narrative and create a relationship with them by controlling their emotions through whats on screen. 

Lighting
The lighting used throughout the whole opening sequence of our thriller film is going to be filmed in low key lighting, this is used to create a eery and dark atmosphere which is relatable to our narrative. The low key lighting is also used to put the audience in suspense as the darkness is a very common use of a thriller convention as it is a form of enigma. This is conventional to the thriller genre as low key lighting often presents enigma through things such as shadows and allows the killers identity to remain hidden. I have inspiration to use this from many films including Halloween and Scream, where the lighting used is very dark to emphasise the danger and mystery within the scene, when you cannot see your surroundings they often become more paranoid and aware of what will happen. 

Setting
The setting we are going to use is a forest, this is because from our questionnaire results we had discovered our audience prefer to watch thrillers filmed in a forest setting. I believe this is because it a relatable location towards the audience, therefore they will feel a stronger connection to the situation the character is in. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the forest is a very common setting for murder to take place, as soon as our victim will enter the forest the audience will automatically assume what will happen. However before the victim enters the forest she will be walking down a street and into an alley, the alley also represents danger as it is a very common place for crimes to take place therefore very conventional to the thriller genre. Inspiration for the use of filming within a forest is from films such as the blair witch project.

Costume
The costume that will be used for our killer will be a black colour, that will cover his identity to create mystery. A mask will be used to hide the killers face, the mask will help create more suspense as the killer is choosing to be kept a secret and he could be anyone. The victim will be wearing feminine clothing, to suggest innocence and purity, this shows her vulnerability and innocence. Within the audience they can also relate to this kind of costume as it is a very simple and common clothing choice for many girls who will view the movie. This is conventional to the thriller genre as stereotypically the victims are female and very vulnerable so that they are an easy target for the killer, it is also conventional for within a thriller the killer to be kept dark and mysterious. 

Cinematography
The cinematography that we will use within our opening sequence will vairey alot throughout the opening sequence, as the victim is walking through the street unaware of her follower, the camera shots will be slow paced and establish the setting. Whereas when the victim is running from the killer, the camera shots become more jagged and faster building more suspense for the audience. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience are meant to feel uneasy and be realistically scared for the character. Handheld will be a very common camera shot used within our opening clip for example when the killer is following the victim, this is used so that the audience can view the killers perspective.

Body language/Facial expressions
The facial expressions within the chase scene will be only of the female victim, she will be very distressed and her face will project this feeling. When the victim is hiding her body language becomes very protective of herself, by curling up into a ball behind the tree, this represents her being scared and anxious. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the victim is very naive to assume she could possibly escape and survive the killer attempting to kill her. She will also begin to walk faster when she begins to feel as if she is being followed, this is a body reflex which reflects her fear and paranoia.

Storyboards - Miss Miller

Within our research and planning for our opening sequences of a thriller genre, we had to create storyboards of our narrative, this will help us when it comes to filming our idea, because we will know how to carry each scene out from what camera angle to use to how we will edit the shots we are using. The storyboard included;

• Camera shot
• Editing
• Narrative
• Sound
• Iconography

Within my first 4 boxes in my storyboard the narrative is that the female victim is being followed and then enters the forest, the main camera shot that was used within the first 4 scenes was long shot and this was used because the setting, characters and situation was being established. The music only began to play within the 4th scene as this is when the suspense is being built up, as the girl realises she is being followed. We got inspiration to use the forest as the setting through the thriller the blair witch project.

Within the next 4 scenes, the chase scene begins and a lot more of the conventions of thrillers are used to created an effect on the audience. More editing and camera angles were used in order to connect to the audience, editing such as the kuleshov effect which was used to create a third meaning. Non diegetic sound was also used frequently to impact on the little noises made such as, leaves rattling, heavy breathing and heartbeat. We got inspiration for the chase scenes from many different thrillers such as Halloween and Scream.

The last two scenes leave the audience in shock and suspense as they do not know what has happened to the victim. A lot of more technical effects are used such as silence and the wipe effect which leaves the audience in wonder as they are interested in the narrative. Within the very last scene it is the only scene in which the victim does not star in, this gives the audience a strong indication of her death.




Having created individual storyboards and then conferring to recreate a final group storyboard was very useful, this was because we each had very creative and fresh ideas that we decided to combine which will make our opening sequence much more effective. However we did find it hard to come up with an editing style for each storyboard as we have not filmed the scenes yet, therefore we cannot predict what effect will be best suited to each shot. This will result in us making many changes from our planning to our final product.

Preliminary task - Miss Georgiou

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XNhXJata38
My group consists of me, Tom and Scott, myself and Scott were acting within the preliminary task and Tom was in charge of the camera. Throughout this task we experimented with many different camera angles which we could possibly use in our opening sequence of a thriller movie. We used angels such as;

• Long shot
• Point of view
• Steadicam
• Mid shot

Having completed this preliminary task, we now have experience on how we can film and edit our opening sequence using different angles and editing skills. We learnt how to use the stand and camera and use many techniques for creating different effects using them. However we did struggle to repeat certain angles and positions of the camera when filming the conversation between myself and Scott, this is because we had to change the camera position each time one of us replied in the conversation. This was tricky as we had to return the camera into the exact same place, otherwise the whole clip would have been out of focus.

Within our opening sequence we do plan to use the long shot angle, during the first few shots when our victim is being followed. From our preliminary task we now have knowledge on how to use this in an effective way.  Advantages of carrying out the preliminary task is that we now have an insight on how to film and carry out our filming however a disadvantage to doing this was that Tom filmed it and he will not be the director of photography within our real opening sequence.

Here is screenshots of the camera angles we used within our preliminary task;

Target audience research - Miss Miller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVBCCQboZbQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTrcKWv0ZeE

My results from my questionnares have been put into pie charts and within this post I will be discussing and analysing why each questions results are relevant for my research into making an opening sequence for a thriller film. We will use our feedback to help create an opening sequence which will attract to our target audience.

From my questionnare results I have found out that 60% of my audience was male, this shows how the thriller genre appeals more to the male gender rather than the female (40%). This is a very stereotypical theory which my results can prove to be correct, this means I will try to make me opening sequence appeal to the male gender as much as I can. I can do this in ways such as using a young attractive female victim, or making the killer male to show they are an inferior gender.

My results show that people prefer to hear soundtrack (48%) within a thriller rather than screaming (17%) or sound effects (30%), this shows that the soundtrack makes a big impact onto the film. When asked to elaborate on there choice most participants had simular opinons in that they believe the soundtrack creates suspense and reflects on the audience as to how they should be feeling whilst watching. From this I have decided to use a very effective soundtrack that summarises how the audience should feel fear and adrenaline when the girl is being followed. This will show how the girl is in trouble and the audience can predict a disturbance to the equillibrium in the sequence.

Another unanimous result my questionnare collected was that people prefer to watch a thriller film that is set in a dark forest at 47%, rather than a derelict house (22%) or a graveyard (18%). However over suggestions for their prefered setting would be was a hospital and a park. Therefore for my opening sequence my group have decided to film within a forest with a darl lighting, we believe this will appeal to our target audience and set a frightening atmosphere.

Our results showed that people prefered subgenres of a psychological thriller (40%), rather than crime thrillers (32%) and action thrillers (23%). From our idea, if our opening sequences of a thriller film had to fall into a catogary of a subgenre we would like it to be psychological, therefore we will make the killer seem mentaly unstable and make it aware to the viewers.

When asked what characters they would like to see in a thriller a high majority of my participants chose a mental character (37%) rather than demons (30%) or pretty victim (23%). When asked why the participants further commented that they found mental characters interesting to watch as you they are not predictable therefore more entertaining to watch. This was interesting feedback and to represent this in our opening sequence we will use a mental antagonist.

When asked which age certificate each participant enjoyed watching the most with 48% was 15, age 12a received 20% and 18 received 33%. I believe this is because 15's include horror and shock to an extent that is bearable to watch, which is appropriate to my target audience. With this information we will add shock, surprise and suspense into our opening sequence with not to much or little horror. 

We asked participants what they enjoy watching within a thriller 40% chose chase scenes,  25% chose enigma and 20% chose shock, another 10% was on the option of giving one of there own suggestions which included various elements such as suspense, ghosts and little children. Through the results we collected we have decided to include a chase scene within our opening sequence as well as enigma.

The last question we asked our participants was what do they expect to see in a thriller, 38% expected for it to be set in night, 25% expected for there to be a victim and 22% expect to see death within thrillers. From this we have decided to set our opening sequence in dark hours to make it seem more thriller conventional and there will be a victim within the sequence. 

Group narrative - Miss Georgiou

The purpose of a narrative is to set the atmosphere of the genre and to engage the audience into the film to carry on watching. For example within a thriller film, the narrative would be frightening and involve a lot of mystery and suspense. In our group we discussed all of our ideas within a media lesson, debating on advantages and disadvantages of each one.

Narrative one- Scott:
This narrative involves, a paranoid child who can see a ghost however his parents do not believe him and neglect his suspicion of the ghost being the reason of behind the strange happenings going on inside the house. The ghost then returns and kills the boy. Advantages to this narrative is that it would create a lot of suspense and involves a lot of shock, using a young boy as the victim is also an advantage as it relates to the audience. Disadvantages are that we do not have the skills and equipment to include a ghost within our opening sequence and we would find it difficult to find parents that would be willing to act for us.

Narrative two- Tom:
The narrative is about a couple staying in a house in the mountains, the first night there are noises from upstairs so she goes to find out what is making the noises, she finds a locked room which the house owner doesn't want her to see. This happens for a few nights and then one night the male goes missing, she then goes onto find that her husband has been taken and murdered in the room even though the husband didn't believe that the room existed, as she tries to rescue him she is trapped in the room herself. Advantages to this narrative is that it is quite simple therefore it will be easy to film. However it is a very long opening sequences therefore we could not film it all.

Narrative three- Devon:
The narrative is that a male and female are walking late at night through a forest and they hear noises, the man goes to check for danger and leaves the woman alone. She waits for his return yet he does not come back for a while, she feels as if she is being watched so she decides to head out of the forest. As she is walking the noises return and she starts to run, as she is being chased she trips over a figure on the floor. It is her boyfriends dead corpse. Advantages to this narrative is that it would be easy excess to the location and the storyline is very simple. However it will be hard to film during dark hours as the lighting will not be very clear.

Narrative Theories 

Vladimir Propp- Vladimir's theory consisted of 9 different characters always being in films, they are:

• The hero
• The villain
• The donor
• The dispatcher
• The false hero
• The helper
• The princess
• Her father

Tzvetan Todorov- Todorov's theory was that films are not defined by the characters but the narrative.

He believed every film has five stages, which are:

• A state of equilibrium 
• Disruption occurs
• Recognition of the disturbance
• Attempt to repair the disruption
• Return to a new equilibrium 

Aristotle- Aristotle believed films were not consistent on characters or narrative, but included at least one of these 7 themes:

• Character goal
• Stakes
• Resolution
• Dramatic question
• Inciting incident
• Sympathy
• Antagonist/Protagonist

Within our opening sequence we will be using the theory of Aristotle, as we will be using the theme of an antagonist, which is the killer we use. The killer is the antagonist, he is consistent throughout our opening sequence and he is the main focus of the opening sequence. I also believe that Artistotle's theory has a very good logic as it seems to fall into my narrative.

Conventions of a thriller film within Halloween - Miss Georgiou

I am going to be discussing how the audience are informed of the genre of the film through the conventions used within the opening sequence from the film 'Halloween'. Conventions are the typical elements that make the audience aware of what genre the film is, typical conventions within the thriller would be things such as suspense and death.

One of the conventions used within the opening sequence that informed the audience of the genre was the dark, quiet setting of a large house which was shown at the very begging of the sequence. Low key lighting was also used in link to the setting, this gave the audience an idea of the thriller genre as it set a erry atmosphere and an element of enigma. Being in a dark, large house on halloween night would scare the audience as they could relate to this type of situation and the low key lighting used creates a sense of mystery as shadows are visible in the shots, this kind of enigma would be feared by most viewers. This is because they cannot clearly see the characters identity or intentions through body language.

Another convention within the opening sequence of Halloween was the loud, fast music which was used when the killer was walking up the stairs before he killed his vicim. The music was used to create excitement and build up adrenaline for the audience as they could tell something bad was going to happen. As the killer became closer to the victim, the music became faster and louder, this effect is used to create an unstable atmosphere therefore a bigger shock was made once he started to murder the girl. The music also makes the victim seem even more vunreble to her death, as the audience could all predict her murder however she was oblivious to it.

The killer had his identity covered with a mask, this is another convention of a thriller as it is a use of enigma. Not knowing who the killer is creates a lot of suspense and mystery which keeps the audience entertained and interested in carrying on watching the film. The enigma started when the killer was watching the girl through the window of the house, the shadows from the dark setting do not allow the audience to see the killers identity. Once the killer is approaching the girls room he picks up  mask from the floor and puts it on, it seemed as if the killer was being taken over by the mask and it gave him a motive to kill his own sister.

Iconography is also another convention that was used within the opening sequence, as the killer approaches the house he opens a draw and takes out a knife which he uses to murder his sister with. The representation of the knife is death and danger, which is what is used within all thrillers. While the killer is walking through the house with the knife, the audience become aware of his intentions and this creates suspense.

Inspirations for opening scene - Miss Miller

Throughout analysing many clips from various thriller films, I have found out alot of information including techniques such as; sound, conventions, cinematography and editing. From this information I know how to create a very effective and inspired opening scene for my own thriller film.

Sound
After analysing sound by using a clip from the thriller 'Inception' I would like to include many techniques that I believe highly impacts the audience, these techniques include;

• Silence- This was used when the man had just shot the killer, this creates alot of suspension and normally has a hidden meaning which builds the audience up for more surprise or to emphasis the death of a character. Silence also connects the audience to the characters as it focuses on the actual noises within the setting. We will be using this just before our victim gets dragged from behind the tree.
• Soundtrack is used to create excitement for the audience as it increases in speed as the scene becomes more dangerous, this is a very effective technique which helps create surprise and shock. We will be using this when the victim is being followed and begins to notice.

Cinematography
After analysing cinematography using a clip from the thriller 'Shutter Island' I would like to include many techniques that I believe are covnentional and could be used within our opening sequence.

• High angle- This was used to make the man from Shutter Island seem very inferior and weak, this is a useful camera shot to use when filming the victim hiding from the killer as she will be vulnerable. This camera angle helps the audience establish who the victim is within the film.
• Long shot- This was used when the dead children were laying on the ground and will be used to establish the setting and characters which we are using for our opening clip which is an alley way with a victim and killer. This helps set the atmosphere as the audience can tell the genre of the film is a thriller when its in a dark, derelict setting.

Conventions

After analysing conventions using a clip from the thriller 'Halloween' I would like to include many techniques that  I believe are appropriate for our opening sequence.

• Iconography- Within the clip from halloween a knife was used as the weapon choice to kill the victim. Whereas within our clip we have decided to use a hammer for the killer to use to murder our victim, we believe iconography is a very important convention within thrillers as it creates more danger. The audience will also associate the hammer as a weapon when they see the killer holding it when following the victim, we decided to use a hammer as our killer is supposed to seem deranged.
• Hidden identity- Within Halloween the killer is wearing a mask in which covers his identity to the victim, this creates mystery and suspense. In our opening sequence our killer will have his identity covered by wearing a hood which creates a shadow over his face. We believe this will help create an enigma which will entertain the audience as they are unaware of how the killer looks, therefore they will be curious and engaged as to who he turns out to be.

Research into sound - Miss Miller

Within thrillers sound is a crutial element to be included, sound within films is key to making the audience experience feelings and emotions towards to narrative and characters. There are many different sound techniques that can be used to create effect, I will be writing about some effects used within the film inception. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvDba2nMv_U&feature=youtu.be

Non-diagetic sound is used when the man is being followed down the hallway, the music is added through editing and placed over the scene (0:40). The music is at a quick repetitive pace and represents danger . This is used to build up suspense which is a very important within the thriller genre as it is one of the 3 S's, suspense, shock and surprise which are crucial to include. Once the fighting begins the music then becomes faster and louder which creates excitement and adrenaline for the audience as they cannot predict the outcome of the violence.

Another sound technique used within the clip from inception was on screen sound, which is when you can see and hear where the sound is coming from in the film. This is used in the fighting scene when the gun falls against the wall (2.00 & 2.08) the noise of the gun would not normally be heard against all of the other noises being made and the background music. However it was emphasised to show the significance of the object, it highlights that who ever reaches the gun first will survive. This connects to the audience as they feel tension and panic for the character, this is very important in the thriller genre and a lot of emotions should impact onto the audience.

Silence is another sound technique used within the clip, this occurs once the gun has been fired and the villain is killed (2.25) this creates a very strong effect on the end of the scene. The silence is used to to suggest the life has come out of the man, as it is released the music and chaos stops. However the silence also ends the fight, by showing the winner and relieving the audience from the panic they were feeling throughout the fight. Silence is a very effective sound technique used within thrillers, which is normally unnoticed but creates a massive impact on the feelings of the audience.

Sound bridge is used throughout the clip from inception, the same soundtrack is used over both scenes of the man in the hotel and the man driving the van. This helps maintain continuity in the sequence of the transitions between scenes, which helps the audience understand who the antagonists are within the film. The music is relatable towards each scenes within the clip as there is violence in them both and they are both under attack, this creates even more suspension for the audience as in the situation if the man dies in one of the scenarios he dies in both.

In conclusion from my research I have found out what different sound techniques there are and how they are effective within certain areas of the sequence. This will make it easier at the editing stage as adding sound will become much more efficient and organised, which means we will know what to do and how to do it.

Research into the history of thriller films - Miss Georgiou

I will be researching the development within the thriller genre over the years. The thriller genre provides a lot exhilaration, emotions and excitement for the audience, there are a few sub genres for example crime thrillers, erotic thrillers and mystery thrillers.

1940
Rebecca-Alfred Hitchcock

• The thriller genre started in the early 1920-1930's, however only really seriously developed in the 1940's. Hitchcock was often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker. He had many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres, one was Rebecca which won best picture and best cinematography. 

1960
Psycho-Alfred Hitchcock

• Hitchcock was still very big 20 years later when he directed the film Psycho which was ranked among the greatest films of all time, this shows that not just Hitchcock in particular but the whole thriller genre had started to develop a lot more in terms of quality and the content. Famous film stars and exotic locations were now being use within thriller films, broadening the genre.

1980
Dressed To Kill-Brian De Palmer 

• By the 1990's thrillers were very popular and many talented directors were starting out in the genre, for example Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. 

2000
Deja Vu-Tony Scott

• The sub genres of crime and mystery thrillers, became much more popular.

2010
Dark Knight Rises-Christopher Nolan

• In the present day many of the inspiration and techniques used in thrillers are from the previous decades of work. However action and spy thrillers are a lot more popular than the stereotypical thriller movie, which includes horror and violence. 

Hannibal is ranked number one in the thriller genre, within the film there is a lot of torture or gory scenes this shows how the target audience of thrillers enjoy the graphical scenes. Hannibal also includes crime, as hannibal is wanted by both the FBI and various detectives.
Ranked at number 8 is The Bone Collector, this film involves crime and many gory scenes as well which is very similar to the top ranked movie hannibal. This shows how crime is a very effective theme for the thriller audience as they enjoy to watch the mystery.
Ranked at number 17, the film includes no explicit torture and does not go into any detail of the murders. However there is enigma involved due to the audience not knowing the identity or truth behind the killers mother. Psycho is most likely ranked lower than the other films because of its lack of crime and graphical scenes, therefore this is what the target audience of thrillers enjoy to watch. 

Conventions of a Thriller - Miss Miller

The clip I chose is from the movie Jaws, the scene is called 'Chrissies last swim' within the clip she is eaten alive by a shark in the ocean. I will be analysing the conventions used within the clip to make it categorise into the thriller genre. Conventions are the elements that reflect a specific group or category. For example a convention of the thriller genre would be shock.

Within the clip a lot of suspense is used this is a very common convention of the thriller genre, as suspense connects the audience to the characters as they can feel the same anxiety. Suspense is used when the girl is swimming alone and slow eery music is played to raise tension of something bad that is going to happen. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable as they can sense a bad atmosphere however still get shocked when the shark starts to eat the girl.

The event of an attack is also another convention of the thriller genre as it creates terror and surprise, the film  transformed a common, relate able task of swimming in the ocean into a frightening scene which may emotionally impact the audiences lives. The attack is a use of violence which is also the cause of the girls death, this shows how crucial the attacks are and this is used to make the audience fear the situation the character is in.

The use of a female victim also applys to the thriller genre as it shows how vulnerable and unprepared characters are targeted. The victim used is a young blonde attractive woman who has no chance of surviving the shark attack. This is relate able to the audience as they feel they would react in the same way as the woman did by screaming and swimming for her life, as she is an inferior human being compared to the man eating shark used as the villain.

Another convention the clip follows is the mystery used in regards to the villain, within the clip the shark is the antagonist however the shark is never shown when eating the girl. This raises mystery and adrenalin as you cannot predict what it will do next to the girl. Mystery is a very important part within thrillers as it puts the audience on edge and encourages them to carry on watching and find out what happens next.

Relationships between the audience and the film are built through the conventions by making the situations and characters relate able, by using a young, blonde, female actress the audience can relate to the vulnerability they may be faced with if they experienced the situation in real life. A relationship is also built through the convention of using death as the outcome, this is because within many different genres many characters survive the impossible due to an unrealistic approach. However within thrillers death is a common occurance which provides the audience with a sense of reality, as they know if faced in the same situations as the characters they would not survive.

Research into age certificates and the BBFC - Miss Georgiou

BBFC is important to the film industry because it helps avoid controversy regarding inappropriate violence, language and events within a film. Certain ages should not be permitted to view certain scenes due to the specific use of unsuitable elements, for example a film involving nudity or swearing should not be viewed by children younger than the age of 15.

U
The u symbol stands for universal, this means the films are suitable for ages four and above. These films are very hard to certificate as it is harder to predict what might upset a young child. In U films there tends to be mild if not no use of swearing, drug references or sexual activity and normally has a happy, reassuring ending.

PG
PG stands for parental guidance, this means most children can watch them however below around eight years old parents should accompany the child throughout viewing. If any inappropriate images or references are shown for example smoking and drugs they are shown in a negative light to highlight the danger for young children. There is some use of sexual references and horror however they are not prolonged.

12&12A
12A films are for children 12 or over, the A stands for accompanied or advisory this means 12 year olds can watch the film if accompanied by an adult. Horror films can be classed as 12's but only if the violence and horror is moderate.

15
15 rated films are not permitted to be watched by any child under the age of 15, this is because there is not much limit on the amount of sexual content, nudity, strong language and violence. The difference between 12 rated films and 15 rated films is very large.


18
18 films are strictly for adults of the age 18 and above, it is stressed that children below this age should not watch 18 rated movies.

Editing effects - Miss Georgiou

I chose a clip from Saw 5 called "the cube" I will be writing about the editing used within the clip. Editing is defined as the act of modifying material to arrange the sequence in a much more effective and better way.

Within the clip the editing effect montage is use, this is when the man is trying to escape the cube. The shots speed up to create excitment and panic for the audience to make them relate to the fear the character is experiencing. The shots being quickly juxaposed together make the scene feel very unrealistic which is compareable to the actual situation he is in. During the editing the mans face becomes hard to see, this means hes emotions becomes hard to read, this shows how he could be feeling alot of confusion. This relates to the thriller genre as alot of adrenaline and tension is created, which is a very important part within making thriller films successful.


Another editing effect used within the Saw 5 clip is the kuleshov effect, which is used when the water tank and then the mans facial expression is shown. This gives the clip a third meaning in which the audience realise the purpose of the water tank and cube is to drown the man. This connects to the audience as they understand the plot and how to villan within the film thinks, it also creates a lot of suspension and they do not know how the man will survive the game. This relates to the thriller genre as there is mystery and a sense of the unknown, this is used in thrillers to create then shock and surprise.



The editing effect jump cut is also another effect used for example on the table which has a knife, a gun and a phone on it. This implies that the man will definetly not survive the game. The jump effect is used to add importance and significance to the objects. This gives a simular effect to the audience as the following kuleshov element did, it connects them with the characters by working out the conclusions of the movie using the surroundings in the scene. It relates to the thriller genre as the gun and knife represent the danger within the shot and the jump cut emphasises this danger. Danger is a very important element within thriller films.

Individual ideas for a narrative - Miss Georgiou

Inspirations I have had from other thriller films that I could use in my own thriller clip is the use of the hidden identity of the killer which was used in the film The Strangers. It creates a lot of suspense and mystery which I think is a very important element within thriller genres and I believe it connects the audience to the characters. I also think that the slow editing made a very large impact on the suspense caused in the film the strangers, i would like to include this in my clip as it would make a eery atmosphere.

Plot, characters, mise-en-scene and conventions

• Male and girl victim, a couple being followed late at night
• Shadows are only being shown of the killer
• Male goes to check for danger and gets taken
• Woman is searching for man
• Gets chased through forest
• Trips over the dead body of her boyfriend
• She screams sequence ends.

Research into mis-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

I chose a clip from the thriller movie 'Paranormal Activity 3' I will be analysing the mise-en-scene used within this clip and how it is effective. Mise-en-scene is every detail within the camera shot that contributes towards the scene, it is made up by 5 micro elements which include lighting, cinematography, costume, body language and setting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO9yWm-Rthw

Within the clip the cinemtography plays a very inportant part into building suspense and panic for the audience, the camera effect used is handheld this creates a jerky and unstable vibe which makes the scene much more realistic and relateable. This results to within the duration of the scary bits, shock and fear being magnified as the audience feel more connected to the characters within the scene. Many different angles are used to build further effect, such as the over the shoulder angle used by the man within the bathroom, this gives the audience the same view as the character which allows them to share his perspective.

There is no main effect caused by the costume of the characters however they still imply many different things. The clothing worn by the little girl represents her innocence and purity, she is in her pyjamas which is meant to show how unexpected and suprising the scary events that occur are when they begin to unfold. The pink jumper shows her feminity which also explains why her reaction to the mysterious disturbances were very extreme. As the girl is representing youth and innocence, the audience can connect to this as the target audience has a segment of young teenagers who can connect to the character.

The setting of the scene is in the young girls bedroom, which can also be seen through the image above, the colour scheme of the room is very bright and young this emphasises how truly evil the mysterious demon is to attack such vunrable and innocent children. The luxuries that can be viewed from this scene show how money is no security and there is things out there that we cant be protected from. This relates to a thriller genre as the element of surprise is used to generate a response from the audience, which would be shock and suspense. The audience can connect to this through the very natural setting of a bedroom which they can relate to having one and the fear they would receive if the same situation happened in their own room.

The facial expressions and body language used are very effective within the clip of Paranormal activity 3. When the little girl is in the bathroom and there is mysterious things going on outside the door, the girl turns her back to the door to jam it shut and protect herself. She is protecting herself because she is scared and worried about what might happen to her, this is conveyed through her body language. The man is looking through hes camera rather than viewing hes surroundings directly, this shows how he can feel more comfortable as there is a higher chance what he is seeing through the camera may not be real. This connects to the audience as they can relate to her worry for the situation she is in, and the mans denial of the situation as it is not very common.

The lighting used with in the clip from Paranormal activity 3 is very natural, this creates a very calm and comfortable atmosphere for the audience. However when the lights turn off this creates an unstable and frightening theme. When the lights are off the audience are unaware of what the characters are experiencing this creates fear and suspense for the people viewing which is a very conventional effect used within the thriller genre. This connects the audience to the characters as they share the same emotion of panic due to not being able to see what is going on.

Creating this post has helped me understand how all of the micro elements within mise-en-scene can create effect individually to produce a good thriller film, therefore this post will positively affect my opening sequence. Using the information I have collected I can begin to plan the mise-en-scene I would like to use for my opening sequence, however as my narrative will be different to the narrative used in paranormal activity 3, I will have to gain more inspiration from other thriller films.








Editing used within thriller films is a very important element, due to thrillers having a reputation of being over exagerated and very unrealistic situations. There is not much editing used within this clip however throughout the rest of the movie there is, near the end of the clip chairs fly about and the table breaks. The editing used to make it realistic is very effective as it shows the villan within the film is unknown, this creates mystery which creates a lot of fear for the audience. Nobody knows who or what the antagonist is. This relates to the thriller genre as there is a lot of mystery and undeserved victims.

There is a large amount of non diagetic sound added into the clip to emphasis the loud noises and highlight the significance of certain movements. For example the chairs being flung across the room, and the the door slamming, the noises are pre-recorded and then added into the scene through editing. The non diagetic sound is used to create a larger impact on the audiences shock, throughout thrillers suspense is projected easiest and most effective through the use of music and noise. Diagetic sound is also used within the clip when the girl and man are having a conversation and screaming in reaction to the mysterious ghost.

Research into cinematography - Miss Miller

My clip I chose is from the thriller movie 'Shutter Island', I will be giving explanations on the cinematography used and how it effects the audience and how it relates to the thriller genre. Cinematography is best defined at the art or science of motion picture photography. Within the clip from Shutter Island many shots are used to fit the thriller genre and effect the audience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rku6u5PmiZ4


 A high angle shot is used on the man staring at hes dead children this shows how he is lonely and weak. He is upset and shocked at hes discovery and the shot makes hes character look very vulnerable and inferior. The angle also reflects on the little power the man has within the situation of hes children being dead. This relates to the thriller genre as it follows the convention of there always being victims. It makes the audience feel pity and they sympathise the character within the scene.



Another shot used within the clip was close up, this shot was used on the dead woman laying on the ground. The shot created shock by emphasising the sadness in her face as the blood slowly runs down her neck. This highlights the misery and death within the film which is a common element in thriller films, this effects the audience by reminding them near the end of the film all of the emotions they have experienced through watching.




Canted angle is used when the man and woman are in conversation, this angle was used to show imbalance and instability. They did this because the woman had just murdered her children and wanted to do strange things to there bodies, the unsteady camera angle reflects of her unstable mind. She killed her own children and felt no remorse for them shows how out of balance the plot of the film is, this links in with thrillers as they are usually based on characters without a sound mind. This keeps the audience in suspense as they cannot predict the actions of the characters.



Another close up is used within the clip when the man is watching his dead children laying on the ground. The mans face is very emotional and distraught, this helps the audience connect with him as they can see his feelings and many audience members can relate to loosing loved ones. It relates to the thriller genre as there is a lot of sadness and panic within them.