Editing

Today we begun editing our thriller openings. We begun by capturing all the footage we needed then begun editing. For our thriller we have added colour effects using the three way colour effect and saturated color. We have also added the effect so that some of our shots look shaky. We have added in different speeds so some shots are sped up and some are in slow motion. We have also reversed some shots. We are trying to make all our shots a bit different so that there is a continuos edgy affect to our thriller opening.

Shot list

1. Close up of animation

2. Extreme close up of dilated eye

3. Medium Shot of people partying

4. Close up of flashback shot

5. High angle shot of Ben walking down the street

6. Close up of Ben lighting his cigarette

7. Long shot of Ben walking down the road

8. High angle shot of Ben looking through the window

9. Close up of Bens face looking worried

10. Medium shot of Ben walking through the estate people

11. Close up of dog

12.

Production Schedule/props/costume

This is our Production Schedule it includes where we film, when we film, what we film & who is included in the filming.We will be doing all our filming on one day, all day to ensure we have all the shots we need.

1. Collecting the camera

Date: Friday 4th December-9th December

Time : 1pm-2pm

At this time we will be collecting the camera so that we can start filming the next day.

2.First half of the day includes:

Date: Saturday 5th December

Time:1pm-4pm
Location: Gervais house

In this time slot we will be filming all the shots in Gervais' house. This will include our first shot of Ben at the party. All of these shots in Gervais house will be of the party scene.

The props we will be using on this date are:
- Cups
- Chairs
- Strobe Light
- 'Alcohol'

- Bunny Costume

3.Second half of the day includes:
Date: Saturday 5th December
Time: 4.30pm- 9pm
Location: Gervais Estate
For this time slot we will be filming all the shots around Gervais' estate, including the shot of the dog, Ben running through the estate and all the different angled shots of Ben.
- Cigarette
- Mobile Phone
- Ipod
- Lighter
- Dog

Costumes:

Ben: For this Ben will be wearing a shirt, t-shirt, skinny jeans, converse and jacket.

Party People: All the party people will be wearing normal clothes including jeans,t-shirts,skirts,hoodies etc. All the clothing will be neutral colours so that no-one stands out.

Estate People : These people will be wearing stereotypical clothing including tracksuits, hoodies, dunks etc.

Character Information

For our three minute opening of our thriller we have chosen to focus on one primary character, Ben. The reason for this is that the rest of the characters are seen in groups, the party goers and the group of boys, and this gives the main character a sense of isolation.

Ben- A mysterious character aged 17 who has had some sort of personal trauma in the events leading up to the opening scene because of this he is left socially awkward and unable to relate to his former friends and party goers.

Party Goers- A group of college aged students who are at the party. Drunk, under the influence, smoking and so on. One person is in a bunny suit and others are in a state of madness.

Rude Boys- A group of boys on the estate that the party is set. All wear the same type of clothing and just sterotypes

Target Audience for our thriller

For thriller films the target audience usually ranges from 16-25 year olds and are usually aimed at older men. However our thriller is going to be aimed at a younger crowd from the age of 15. We have also aimed our thriller at both men and women, so our thriller appeals to more people. We have used all teen actors so that we achieve our aim of a younger target audience, as other teens can watch and relate to the movie. Our thriller is quite modern and deals with the story of a troubled teen. We have gone against the usual target audience of older men as we want our film to appeal to a wider audience.

Locations, Set designs, costumes & props

Locations, Set designs, costumes & props are all very important aspects when it comes to creating a thriller film. Different locations, set designs, costumes & props can change the mood of the film very easily so it is important that the location, set design, costumes & props fit accordingly to the story. 'The Butterfly Effect' is a psychological thriller starring Ashton Kutcher. I watched the first three minutes to distinguish the type of set, location, costume & props used to introduce the movie. The movie begins in a dark setting where the actor dressed in a blue type doctor’s jacket with a simple white t-shirt and beige trousers is breaking into an office. As an audience member we can tell this as he checks to see if its empty then kicks down the door, then uses the sofa to block the door entrance. The setting is very dark and enclosed and the location of this scene seems to be in an office of some sort. The props used fit accordingly to the scene i.e. the actor uses a pencil and paper of which he takes from the desk of the office. A pencil and paper is something we would expect to be on an office table. There is a water dispenser which many offices have however, the office resembles a type of therapists’ office as it is spacious, simple and there is no computer of any sort to be seen, but just a sofa to the left of the desk with a table facing it full of magazines and a water dispenser. The office is furnished with fitting colours to the setting i.e. the setting is dark and so is the sofa and desk. This scene is set in the location of some sort of office and the setting and props fit accordingly to the location. The actors costume makes us wonder as an audience member if he is in some sort of hospital as he seems to be clothed in type of doctor’s jacket. The scene then changes to a lovely looking neighbourhood, on a nice day. As an audience member we are informed this is thirteen years earlier. The location of this scene is a neighbour hood, and the setting includes houses, cars, people etc everything you would see in a neighbourhood. The people in the scene are wearing everyday clothing and the young boy actor uses a toy as a prop to play with his dog, whilst the mum dressed in a blue jumpsuit is fixing their car with a tool box prop. She then removes the jumpsuit to reveal a waitress type uniform. The costumes match the setting an as an audience member we begin to wonder who the boy is, and who was the man in the previous scene. In the beginning of this thriller the set, costumes & props fit the location perfectly.

Thriller production companies

There are many different production companies that produce thrillers. One main production company that I have found would be 'Hubbell Robinson Productions'. Hubbel Robinson was born in Schenectady, New York, 16th October 1905. He studied at Phillips Exeter Academy. The 'Hubbell Robinson Productions' company has produced such thrillers as 'The Specialists','The Lethal Ladies' , 'The Bride who died twice', 'Man of Mystery', 'Till death do us part' and many more. It was a popular production company during the 60s as this is when most of his films were made.Another movie company is 'New Line Cinema'. 'New Line Cinema' produces many different types of movies ranging from comedies to horror. Itwas founded in 1967, is one of the major American film studios. In 1996, though it initially began as an independent film studio, it became part of 'Time Warner' and is now a division of 'Warner Brothers'. It has produced such thrillers as 'Final Destination' (parts 1-5), 'The Butterfly Effect', 'The Curroptor', 'Most Wanted'. 'Hevanes Prisoner, 'The Long kiss goodnight' and many more.

Target Audience

The target audience is the primary group of people that something like an advertising campaign, movie, tv show etc is aimed at. A target audience can be people of a certain age group, gender, marital status, etc. For thriller films it is hard to define a target audience as some thriller movie certificates range from pg to 18. For thriller films the target audience usually ranges from 16-25 year olds and are usually aimed at men although there isn't a great difference between the percenatge of men to womne.This is usually because the majority of actors used are young so youger viewers can follow and relate to the story. I looked at a thriller called 'The State of Play' (2009 based on the british television serial of the same name in 2003). It showed that its target audience was for ages between 15-24 having the highest percentage of 68% and the target gender was males having 63%.

Defining the genre & sub genres

Defining a genre of a fillm can be quite difficult but there are four main ways to define the genre of a film. These being the setting (the environment in which the action takes place), the theme or topic (refers to the issues or concepts that the film revolves around), the mood (emotional tone of the film) and the format ( the way the film was shot). However film genres often branch out into subgenres (a subcategory with a particular genre) For example a 'Chick flick' is a genre but it may include sub-genres such as comedy, tragedy, 'tearjerkers', fiction fantasy etc.

'Back to the future' is defined as a science fiction adventure film. However it includes sub genres such as comedy(in the character of 'The Doc'), romance (between marty mcfly and jennifer parker, and his parents george and lorraine mcfly), tearjerkers (when the doc is shot, when marty believes he can't bring his parents back together) and others. This shows how all films also include sub genres.

Defining a thriller - Thrillers can often be further divided into action thrillers, crime-caper thrillers, western-thrillers, film-noir thrillers, even romantic comedy-thrillers. Another closely-related genre is the horror film genre. Thriller and suspense films almost go hand in hand and are hard to depict as different genres. Normally films classed as thrillers promote intense excitement, suspense, high levels of anticipation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension and this is how we can begin to define their genre. Spy film are the best example as they are mainly considered as a type of thriller/suspense film.

Thriller Music

From watching different thriller openings I could begin to establish a pattern in the music used for thrillers. The music crescendos through the opening titles starting off quietly and then increasing in volume throughout the whole sequence. Thriller music tends to use an orchestral dramatic score and includes a lot of use of different strings varying the volumes and intensity to set different moods at different times of the film. The music alone is key to a thriller film and is used for dramatic effect to heighten the audiences mood and the audiences expectations of what may happen next.

I have included the opening sequence of 'Insomnia' (2002), which I believe has used music very cleverly.

Thriller Actors

Matt Damon- He was born October 8th 1970. His career was launched after his success in 'Good Will Hunting' from a screen play he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck. Matt Damon has been named the 5th best Thriller movie actor to date. He starred in thrillers such 'The Departed' (2006), 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007), 'The Bourne Supremacy' (2004) and 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' (2002).

Janet Leigh - Was born July 6, 1927 and died October 3, 2004. She was an American actress. She was discovered by the actress Norma Shearer after which she then secured a contract with MGM and began her film career in the late 1940s. She appeared in several popular films over the following decade, including Houdini (1953), in which she co-starred with her husband, Tony Curtis. She is well known for her performance as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho(1960). She appeared in other thriller movies such as 'Touch of Evil' (1958), 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1962), 'The Fog' (1980).

Samuel Leroy Jackson- He was born December 21, 1948. He is an American film and television actor. Samuel L Jackson has won multiple awards throughout his career but he is well known for his role in 'Pulp Fiction', where he received several award nominations. He is best known for his parts in thriller films including 'Pulp Fiction' (1994), 'Kill Bill:Volume 2' (2004), 'Out of sight' (1998) and 'True Romance' (1993).

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Directors

Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, screenwritter, producer and actor. He has been named as the 5th best thriller director following Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spiel-berg and James Cameron. Some of his best films include 'My Best Friends Birthday'(1987), 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992), 'Pulp Fiction' (1994), 'Jackie Brown' (1997) 'Kill Bill (Vol 1:2003, Vol 2: 2004), 'Death Proof' (2007) and 'Inglorious Basterds' (2009) His films have earned him Academy, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Palme d'Or Awards and he has been nominated for Emmy and Grammy Awards. In 2007, 'Total films' named him the 12th greatest director of all-time.

James Cameron- Was born Augst 16th 1954 in Canada. He moved to USA in 1971 and studied at California State University. His first professional job was as a art director, miniature set builder and process-projection supervisor on Roger Cormans 'Battle Beyond The Stars' (1980). His first job as a director was in the following year when he directed 'Piranha Part Two: The Spawning'. He is well known for directing thrillers such as 'Aliens' (1986), 'The Terminator' (1984), 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day' (1991) and the 'The Abyss' (1989).

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Joel Schumacher- Was born 29th August 1939 in New York City. He is known for directing thrillers such as 'The Number 23' (2007), 'Veronica Guerin' (2003), 'Phone Booth' (2003), '8MM' (1999), 'The Client' (1994), 'Falling down' (1993), 'Flatliners' (1990) and his most recent 'Town Creek' (2009). Joel Schumacher directs a wide range of films including comedies, dramas, sci-fis and has even directed a musical (Phantom of the Opera). He is also known for writting 'The Wiz'.

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180 degree rule

This diagram shows the axis between two characters and the 180° arc on which cameras may be positioned (green). When cutting from the green arc to the red arc, the characters switch places on the screen. This enforces the 180° degree rule so that whilst filming actors alway remain on the same side of the camera every time.

Editing and end outcome of our prelim task

Today we began editing all of our prelim tasks. We used Final Cut Pro to edit our prelim tasks. We began inserting our discs where we took all the footage we needed and began refining all of our material. We had to ensure all our footage was named appropriately so that we were able to distinguish what material we needed to place and where. When we started to piece this all together we had to ensure all the shots were continuos. After we had edited our material we began to add appropriate music to our prelim task. We used Soundtrack Pro to add music to our prelim tasks. The clip following is the end product to our prelim task.

I found using Final Cut Pro quite difficult as I have never used any type of editing program before. When using Soundtrack Pro I found this easier as I have used a type of program like this before. When editing at first we lost all our defined footage so Ben and I had to do this all again. Once we had refined our material using Final Cut Pro got easier and I got used to using this program more. I enjoyed editing my prelim task as I could begin to understand how Final Cut Pro works and how important it is to get several different shots of the same thing so when we are refining our work we have more shots to chose from.

Continuity prelim task

Today we were told we would have to film a sequence of at least 10 shots making sure that there was continuity. We talked about how sometimes when you watch films there isn't continuity, for example someone will be sitting in a scene talking to someone and then when the camera angle changes they will be standing talking instead of sitting so there movement isn't continuous and viewers will wonder how they change position so quickly. Alice asked us to create a sequence of movements using about 10 shots to show continuity and include a shot reverse shot. She wanted us to film a conversation between two people, using shot reverse shot (match on action) and film one person going through a door to get to the other person ensuring the shots were continuous. I was in a group with Gervais and Ben. We decided that our story would be Ben as a 'dodgy dealer' going to meet one of his suppliers, but he meets the wrong person, who looks at him confused and isn't listening to him anyway as she has her head phones in, when he realises its the wrong person he gets up and leaves in a hurry. We decided to use 10 shots of which included:

1. Long shot of ben walking down the corridor

2. P.O.V shot looking at Bens phone

3. Match in action shot of the door handle

4. A shot of Ben walking through the door

5. P.O.V of Ben walking into camera

6. Over the shoulder shot of Ben looking at the other person

7. Shot reverse shot

8. Low angle shot of other person

9. Over the shoulder shot of Ben in confusion

10. P.O.V shot of Ben

Whilst filming we changed some of these shots as they didn't quite work and another shot was suited better. However, we ensured we had continuous shots and used shot reverse shot to document a conversation.

Looking at past students examples

Today we looked at past students projects. The best one we watched was called 'End of the line'. The reason this was so successful was that they used clever action shots, their location complemented their story well, and not too much was revealed in the first three minutes so it kept you really interested and wanting more. We also looked at others one of which included 'Taken'. This was not as successful as the plot was really rushed and within a minute the whole plot had been told, so there wasn’t really any suspense and they didn’t use a lot of different camera angles so their shots didn’t have a great effect. By watching previous students work we could establish what made some openings successful and some openings not.

End Of The Line from BDC on Vimeo.

Taken from BDC on Vimeo.

Prelim Task

Our aim today was to film a journey. Our groups (Gervais,Ben and I) idea was to film Gervais on a journey trying to escape. Alison taught us how to use the cameras so we can just get confident with them. We began learning how to turn it on, record, put the tape in, zoom in and out, focus etc. We also learnt how to use the tripod and how to make sure the camera was stable on it.

We used a variety of different shots to capture the essence of Gervais being imprisoned. We started by filming a long shot of Gervais in a gate place we found which resembled a prison. Then we did a close up of Gervais in the prison, then an extreme close up of his eye. After this we did a birds eyeshot so Ben went to the top of stairs looking down on Gervais who was walking around his cell. We also filmed people abusing Gervais at the bars, and from inside Gervais cells we filmed the people shouting so there was an inside and outside view of the people. We then decided gervais would escape when Ben came to get him as the prison guard. I filmed an over the shoulder shot of Ben walking towards Gervais cell. Then we filmed a high angle shot of Ben standing at the gate door. This was followed by an over the shot shoulder of Gervais going to see Ben at the gate. There was then a fight scene between Ben and Gervais, which we used a long shot for. We then experimented by Ben holding the camera and Gervais slow motion hitting it as if it was Ben. Then our final shot was a worm’s eyeshot of Gervais as he was running away, of which the shot showed his feet then as he ran further the rest of his body emerged. This was a really effective shot and probably one of our best which was good as it was our final shot.

Introduction to shot type movement

Today in media we looked at all the different shots. All the different shots came under three categories, shots, angles and movements. The Media shots included: Extreme long shot – ELS , Long shot – LS, Medium long shot –MLS, Medium shot – MS, Medium close up- MCU, Close up – CU, Big close up- BCU and Extreme close up – ECU. We looked for pictures for all of these so we could understand all the different shots. Then we looked at angles which included: low angle, high angle, worms eye, birds eye, canted, eye level. We found pictures for these as well and then we looked for the different movements including movements, two shot, over shoulder shot, point of view, pan, crab, tracking, zooming, tilt and ped shot. We also found pictures for all of these. All of these shots were interesting to look at and establish what shots were which, and how we can use these in our own filming to give different effects.

analysing film of choice

Today I watched a thriller film of my choice. I watched ‘Phonebooth’ directed by Joel Schumacher, made in 2003 , starring Colin Farell, Forest Whitaker and Kiefer Sutherland. The title sequence included digital writing, which faded into the sky. The title sequence was not eary in any way and the background music was a man singing about a telephone operator. This gave an indication that the film will be based on or around technology in some way. There were many different shots including birds eye (which showed the city), close ups, long shots, high angles and worms eye view. The shots start off where the title sequence is moving through the sky, as the clouds disappear you can see the sky which then has a satellite flowing past the camera, then the camera focuses on a view on the Earth , which then zooms into a part of the earth, which zooms into a city, which then zooms further into a city street. This is very cleverly done and already takes you on a journey from outer space to earth. The camera uses quick movements, it zooms in and out on different people on the street, all the focus of the camera is on technology focusing on people using phones, or some sort of technology based object. The camera uses different speeds including fast, slow and normal. The generic themes include a narrative structure of a man doing a voice over giving information about technology, use of phones, networks etc. The use of sound is non-digetic and digetic, phones ringing are digetic and the men singing but there is non-digetic music which is a type of technological beat which runs through the whole sequence. There is a busy setting which is a Manhattan city, its naturalistic with everyone going about their everyday jobs or duties. All costumes are just every day wear. After watching ‘Se7en’ and ‘Momento’ this was a very different opening sequence and I don’t think it was as effective, during the first three minutes the viewer was not introduced to any characters, although in some ways this was effective as viewers knew the film was based on some sort of technology but did not know any of the characters so in some ways it leaves the viewers wondering what’s going to happen next. It keeps the suspense going much longer than ‘Se7en’ and ‘Momento’.

Analysing the opening sequence of ‘Se7en'

Today in media we watched the opening sequence of ‘se7en’ created in 1995, directed by David Fincher, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt. We looked at all the different areas including: the titles, shots, camera movement, generic themes, sound and mise-en-scene. The titles were very shaky, the font flickered and was un-settling, this lead into psychotic movement. The title sequence was very intense and eary and lots of different shots were used. The shot at the very beginning is a close up and identifies a man but not his face. They use a lot of close ups, point of view shot (which shows all of what the character needs), low angle shot to show the dominant character, two shot, panning and tracking shots which follow the actors and the story. Movement of the camera is steady and moves with the actors, the camera was always moving so it’s as if the story was moving along, The generic themes were that the characters were very numb and it was all very naturalistic and Morgan Freeman was an existentialist character which means he is an outsider and does everything on his own. It was easy to establish him as this as his flat was all precise with the single bed well made, and there was no homely feel as there were no pictures of any sort in his flat, this indicates he lives on his own and maybe has no family. As a character he was much more dominant and precise to the character of Brad Pitt who was more involved with the work asking if the children had seen the crime and he was always a bit being Morgan Freeman showing he isn’t as important and all his mannerisms were a bit scatty, as if he wasn’t fully concentrating. Their was a clear difference between the two characters and what positions they hold. There was no music; the whole opening was very hollow. The mise-en-scenes setting were very naturalistic and it’s a fact only natural light is used throughout the film. There was a lot of rain which we could establish as prophetic fallacy, this could reflect the mood of the city and how one crime get washed away then another happens. The costumes were very dull subdued colours, which mixed in with the setting; the main characters didn’t stand out from the setting or any other extras in the film. This as a viewer gave a very naturalistic theme to the movie, as if it was any day in a city somewhere where a crime had been committed.

Analysing the opening sequence of ‘Momento’

Today we watched the opening sequence of ‘Momento’; it was made in 2002 and had Guy Pears as the main actor and Christopher Nolan as the director. We looked at all the different areas including: the titles, shots, camera movement, generic themes, sound and mise-en-scene. The titles slowly faded in an out and the cold blue colour of the font gives a cold, eary effect. There were many different shots including a p.o.v shot, close ups, worms eye view which was used to look at specific objects, use of tilt shots and mixtures of high and low angle shots. The high shot looked over the main actors shoulder to look down on the man facing him on his knees. This showed a sense of authority, and showed which characters were in control. They also used voyeuristic shots to show a type of big brother watching you type of thing. They used different movements of the camera including tilt shots to show the blood drawing back up the wall, this was a type of retrograde effect as the blood crawled down the wall using a tilt shot then drew back up the wall. The generic themes used were murder and flash backs. All of the sound in the first three minutes was non-digetic. The mise-en-scene which includes everything in the scene used a dark setting, neutral coloured clothes, a natural setting of which were all neutral colours. The wore formal clothes which were of a neutral colour scheme so the characters did not stand out from the setting and detract any attention from the story line. The simplicity to the set gives us a feel as the viewer that there is more to the story than meets they eye. The opening sequence of ‘Momento’ was very successful and carefully used all different aspects of a film to create an opening of a thriller type genre. The flashbacks were most effective and created a greater sense of mystery.

Intro to production brief

Today was our first introduction to media. We were told that we would be doing a three minute clip of an opening sequence of a thriller movie, including titles, aimed at a 15 or 18 certificate audience for our final project. A thriller movie is a movie depicting crime, mystery or spying in an atmosphere or excitement and suspense. We discussed the different themes of thrillers which include: crime, spies, chase or quest, enigmas and puzzles to be solved, conspiracy, suspense, assassination, terrorism and lone figure against the system. We discussed how thrillers aren’t gory like horrors but contain some of the same elements like suspense, murder etc. Thrillers usually contain some kind of mystery, although when a mystery climaxes when the crime is solved a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the life’s of others.

Introduction to me...

I am Harley Dunsmore. I am studying AS Media Studies. I enjoy studying media but haven't done it before. I enjoy analysing different movies and understanding how different aspects of a film can give different affects. I also enjoy the practical work and learning how to use cameras and using different shots. I enjoy watching a different variety of films but my favourites are chick flicks but I also enjoy films such as Atonement where flashbacks are used so that the viewer has to figure the story out for themselves.