1) Camerawork
Point of view was effective.
Variety of shots was effective.
Close ups added intrigue.
2) Sound
Heartbeat added tension and suspense.
Diegetic sound, running, and a catchy soundtrack.
3) mise-en-scene
Restricted view of characters adds to thriller effect.
Made use of forest, thrillery.
Lighting was dark and tinted
4) Editing
Colour correction
Fade at the beginning
The title screen is very good.
5) Constructive critisism
Shot duration of the red room needs to be longer.
Repetitive use of camera angles.
The last static shot had no text.
Turn down the sound.
A more subtle use of colour correction needed.
6) Most effective element of the project
Sound added atmosphere
Point of view shots.
Thursday 17 March 2011
Thursday 10 March 2011
Analysis of opening sequence (Se7en)
Se7en (1995) is a crime drama mystery film, so it is not the same genre as our film. However, there are many similarities between our psychological thriller and this crime film.
camerawork
the camerawork in this opening sequence helps to develop the genre. the shots are often of a long duration which causes the audience to feel the strangeness of the scenes involved. when the shots arent slow and long they are very fast paced, which confuses the audience. a very large amount of the camera angles are extreme close-ups, this engages the attention and also makes you feel like you are watching something that you should not be watching.
editing
There are a lot of jump cuts, which add to the tension as they are very sudden changes, it makes the audience feel wary. when the titles appear there are flashes of light in which you can see an unclear picture. the titles also seem to shake which add to the strangeness. as well as this there are repeats of some of the credits which flash across. there is the occasional effect in which the subject of the picture seems to be blurring as it moves, i think this makes it seem as though the subject is moving faster but when you pay attention to it it is going at an ordinar pace. there are also alarming squiggles which appear and disappear very quickly.
mise en scene
the sequence contains scrapbook making, including needles, photographs, a book, the fingers working away creating a scrapbook, the shadow of the person. also when you can see the writing you can read stuff about pregnancy and transsexuals which combined with everything else causes these subjects to seem very creepy, especially as the character involved is crossing out soe words with a marker pen
sound
The sound in the Se7en opening is mostly non-diegetic music. The music is highly distorted, like the camerawork. This adds to the sensew of uncertainty and tension. The music fits the images shown well, with the credits.
Wednesday 9 March 2011
What we needed to change.
After getting the feedback from Amar it made us understand that our ending to our project was not succesful and left the ending dead. Rather then leaving it open, so the audience would want to watch the rest of the thriller. So therefore we had to change the overall ideas of our storyboard, that we had originally planned. Maybe in the future we should really think about the ending because from this we have learnt that it plays a big part in the whole project.
In alot of professional thrillers the end of a titale sequence often ends with some kind of text, usually ''based on a true story'' or the production name, also the title of the while thriller. So we decided to add the title name at the end, making it more eye catching and making the audience more aware. Alot of proffesional thriller often put the title over the top of one of the clips however we wanted the title to be really prominant to the audience by making the background completely plain.
In alot of professional thrillers the end of a titale sequence often ends with some kind of text, usually ''based on a true story'' or the production name, also the title of the while thriller. So we decided to add the title name at the end, making it more eye catching and making the audience more aware. Alot of proffesional thriller often put the title over the top of one of the clips however we wanted the title to be really prominant to the audience by making the background completely plain.
Music in Pshycological thrillers.
We looked at other professional pshycologica thriller sounds (within a title seuquence)
and we found that looking at 'Catch me if you can' we realised this is what we wanted our thriller to be most like.
In the title sequence it has running, much like our thriller, this is why we looked into the sounds to try and get an idea of the perfect ''chase'' music.
Its really upbeat, and fast paced, emphasising the fact the character is on a run or in our project running away form ''something'. The sounds are not happy, but non diegetic and fast, making it jumpy but keeping in the mind of a pshycological thriller.
Things we need to do.
- Create a sounds on garage band.
- Add sounds to seuquence
- Create a name for our thriller
- Add name of thriller to the end of our title sequence
- Add more transitions making it flow (continuity)
- Rearrange order of some of the clips
- Maybe add in a logo
- Add movement to the text at the beginning of sequence.
- Lighten some of our clips.
- Upload more feedback, and what we have done.
Editing
Wednesday 9th March
In todays lesson we created a sound track on garage band, we wanted the first part of it to be slow to keep in order with the overall tone of the title sequence, then as the fade begins the pace of the song increases for the running parts of the thriller. using garage band we decided to use dark and intense but also upbeat sounds.
In todays lesson we created a sound track on garage band, we wanted the first part of it to be slow to keep in order with the overall tone of the title sequence, then as the fade begins the pace of the song increases for the running parts of the thriller. using garage band we decided to use dark and intense but also upbeat sounds.
Editing lesson 3
Monday 7th March
In this lesson we gained feedback from Amar leaving us with lots of better ideas, but alot more editing!
We had to rearrange the order of the clips to make it have a better ending, and also adding certain transitions to introduce the different parts of the thriller, also making the production name look more appealing and intresting.
First of all we decided rather then adding a background to the production name, we decided to make the text a typewriter, keeping constant with the rest of the text throughout the thriller, also adding a red shadow to the text making it more appealing.
We also added a fade in fade out making it introduce the thriller, and the narrative.
We cut and paste the clip of the eye to the end, and then made a short clip of total darkness just before it. Then using garage band we created a sound of a door closing and footsteps to create a better and tenser atmosphere.
Next lesson we will carry on to produce the underlying song of the whole thriller.
In this lesson we gained feedback from Amar leaving us with lots of better ideas, but alot more editing!
We had to rearrange the order of the clips to make it have a better ending, and also adding certain transitions to introduce the different parts of the thriller, also making the production name look more appealing and intresting.
First of all we decided rather then adding a background to the production name, we decided to make the text a typewriter, keeping constant with the rest of the text throughout the thriller, also adding a red shadow to the text making it more appealing.
We also added a fade in fade out making it introduce the thriller, and the narrative.
We cut and paste the clip of the eye to the end, and then made a short clip of total darkness just before it. Then using garage band we created a sound of a door closing and footsteps to create a better and tenser atmosphere.
Next lesson we will carry on to produce the underlying song of the whole thriller.
Feedback from Amar from watching our video
For the production name, add some sort of background to make it less plain, maybe add movement, a transition, perhaps add a logo? Fade in fade out effect.
Using more transitions making the whole thing 2 or 3 times longer.
When introducing the first clip, make the sounds go over the top of the production name, making the audience wanting to find out whats happening.
Underlying song throughout the project, and everytime there is the white noise effect make the sounds higher.
Also add ''based on a true story''.
Cut out the eye clip and move it to the end, so it leave the end, an opening sequence...
Make it fade out to black when the eye closes making it look more real, leave the shot black for a little while with maybe a heartbeat sound, or an footsteps sound, then leaving the ending as the eye opening and being in a dark room, making it more intense and mysterious.
Also ADD A TITLE AT THE END.
Using more transitions making the whole thing 2 or 3 times longer.
When introducing the first clip, make the sounds go over the top of the production name, making the audience wanting to find out whats happening.
Underlying song throughout the project, and everytime there is the white noise effect make the sounds higher.
Also add ''based on a true story''.
Cut out the eye clip and move it to the end, so it leave the end, an opening sequence...
Make it fade out to black when the eye closes making it look more real, leave the shot black for a little while with maybe a heartbeat sound, or an footsteps sound, then leaving the ending as the eye opening and being in a dark room, making it more intense and mysterious.
Also ADD A TITLE AT THE END.
Sunday 6 March 2011
More editing.
In our lesson, we continued editing, we had to make even more ajustments to the colour correction as we felt that the ''night vision'' effect was not as effective as we had hoped. When we thought we had finished we checked our minimum amount of time which was meant to be 1:50 but when looking at ours we found it was only 1.20 so therefore we had to try and extend some clips, we first started by making the white noise sections about 3/4 seconds longer leaving more time for the ''typewriter'' to spell each name and for the audience have enough time to read the title sequence.
This made the overall time increase but still not enough for the minumum amount so we had to ajust the clips from the forest, making some of them longer, however we had a problem there were not enough clips we had shot to make each section of the forst location, so we had to copy and paste a part of what we had filmed and put one at the beginning and one at the end, hoping it wouldnt be too obvious to the audeince.
We also had to make the parts we took from the darkroom longer, which we hoped would initially make the entire sequence longer, and perhaps explain more of the narrative to the audeince, we had to also colour correct all the shots from the dark room because they were too dark and the audience wouldnt be able to see exactly what was going on.
This made the overall time increase but still not enough for the minumum amount so we had to ajust the clips from the forest, making some of them longer, however we had a problem there were not enough clips we had shot to make each section of the forst location, so we had to copy and paste a part of what we had filmed and put one at the beginning and one at the end, hoping it wouldnt be too obvious to the audeince.
We also had to make the parts we took from the darkroom longer, which we hoped would initially make the entire sequence longer, and perhaps explain more of the narrative to the audeince, we had to also colour correct all the shots from the dark room because they were too dark and the audience wouldnt be able to see exactly what was going on.
Thursday 3 March 2011
FEED BACK
FEEDBACK
Camera work- The shots used were point of view, long shots and a high angle shot. They were effective and put you in the characters shoes.
Mis-en-scene- Dark lightingm which is mysterious, night vision is also used.
Props- photo developing equipment is used which in the thriller genre can be used as evidence.
Location- the dark room was used which has a dark mysertiious atmostphere which contributed to the thriller genre.
Editing- shot durations are quite short and cross cutting between them which keeps the opening faced paced.
Sound- the sounds are mostly diegetic
Improvements- maybe some other shots instead of just point of view, exten length of opening. add credits.
Worked well- the night vision shot is good and stands out.
Wednesday 23 February 2011
SHOTS
SHOT 1 ETX. handi cam, almost a high angle shot, showing character which isnt established at this point, running through a forest, clearly running away from something but it does not show what exactly, panting sounds are used to enphasise the fact the character (victim) is running.
SHOT 2 ETX. further shots of character running through forest, but the camera tilted higher so that the location is established, same sounds as shot 1.
SHOT 3 NONE. white noise, with title sequence, first name of person in our group, with black BROKEN GHOST text.
SHOT 4 INT. over the shoulder/point of view shot of a different but also unknown character in a dark room (maybe walking around.. whilst) looking through photos, or paper cuttings, of the ''victim'', unusual sounds of character singing/humming, creating a pshycological feel.
SHOT 5 INT. close up showing photographs of victim, underneath non diegetic sounds of erie music, fast paced, to emphasise the genre of pshycological thriller.
SHOT 6 NONE. white noise, with title sequence, second name of person in our group, with black BROKEN GHOST text.
SHOT 7 ETX. handi cam, much like shot 1, showing character running through forest with a underlying non diegetic sound, soundtrack created on garage band.
SHOT 8 NONE. white noise, with title sequence, third name of person in our group, with black BROKEN GHOST text.
SHOT 9 INT. another point of view shot, of the antagonist which still remains unknown walking around the dark room looking though the photographs.
SHOT 10 NONE. white noise, with title sequence, fourth name of person in our group, with black BROKEN GHOST text.
SHOT 2 ETX. further shots of character running through forest, but the camera tilted higher so that the location is established, same sounds as shot 1.
SHOT 3 NONE. white noise, with title sequence, first name of person in our group, with black BROKEN GHOST text.
SHOT 4 INT. over the shoulder/point of view shot of a different but also unknown character in a dark room (maybe walking around.. whilst) looking through photos, or paper cuttings, of the ''victim'', unusual sounds of character singing/humming, creating a pshycological feel.
SHOT 5 INT. close up showing photographs of victim, underneath non diegetic sounds of erie music, fast paced, to emphasise the genre of pshycological thriller.
SHOT 6 NONE. white noise, with title sequence, second name of person in our group, with black BROKEN GHOST text.
SHOT 7 ETX. handi cam, much like shot 1, showing character running through forest with a underlying non diegetic sound, soundtrack created on garage band.
SHOT 8 NONE. white noise, with title sequence, third name of person in our group, with black BROKEN GHOST text.
SHOT 9 INT. another point of view shot, of the antagonist which still remains unknown walking around the dark room looking though the photographs.
SHOT 10 NONE. white noise, with title sequence, fourth name of person in our group, with black BROKEN GHOST text.
''Shaky Cam''
When filming we chose to use the effect of a hand held camera, which we have used to show a certain characters point of view, so that the audience can really grasp the atmosphere, this effect is sometimes used in professional thrillers, but not very often, we have decided to use this in our thriller as it may challenge the 'typical convention of thrillers'where mostly still cameras are used. It also allows us to show that our product is a little different from others making it unique and more interesting as its something ''new''.
When researching about the effect of using a ''shaky camera'' we found that it can suggest unprepared, unrehearsed filming of reality, and can provide a sense of dynamics, immersion, instability or nervousness. However too much shaky camera motion can make the viewer feel dizzy or sick.
2 different kinds of a handi cam shot
When researching about the effect of using a ''shaky camera'' we found that it can suggest unprepared, unrehearsed filming of reality, and can provide a sense of dynamics, immersion, instability or nervousness. However too much shaky camera motion can make the viewer feel dizzy or sick.
2 different kinds of a handi cam shot
Colours
During the title sequence the main colours shown are:
Red
Black
and then green/dark colours ( to create a night vision effect )
We researched the colours to see connotations and what kind of effect they would create on the audience, we found that RED generally can be seen as love/lust but also blood and danger, which we need to make the audience feel tense. BLACK can show a number of things such as intellegence, smart, punctuality, buisness etc, but in thriller cases it shows darkness, evil, mystery. WHITE shows purity and sometimes peace, but it can also be seen as a religious sense, and in some countries can be worn at funerals, it also is known as being ''scary'' due to things like spirits and ghosts.
By using these colours we are conforming to the conventions of a typical thriller, where most colours used in the title sequences are red, black, blues, white.
We have used things like white noise, which is obviously white so we have needed to add dark coloured text on top to make it contrast so that it stands out. Which is why we have used black text. We were considering using white/red text on top of the actual video footage but felt that it may distract the audience from the opening scene which we want them to focus on, so therefore we decided to add white noise as part of the title sequence so that we could display text on that.
Example of scream, showing typical thriller colours
Red
Black
and then green/dark colours ( to create a night vision effect )
We researched the colours to see connotations and what kind of effect they would create on the audience, we found that RED generally can be seen as love/lust but also blood and danger, which we need to make the audience feel tense. BLACK can show a number of things such as intellegence, smart, punctuality, buisness etc, but in thriller cases it shows darkness, evil, mystery. WHITE shows purity and sometimes peace, but it can also be seen as a religious sense, and in some countries can be worn at funerals, it also is known as being ''scary'' due to things like spirits and ghosts.
By using these colours we are conforming to the conventions of a typical thriller, where most colours used in the title sequences are red, black, blues, white.
We have used things like white noise, which is obviously white so we have needed to add dark coloured text on top to make it contrast so that it stands out. Which is why we have used black text. We were considering using white/red text on top of the actual video footage but felt that it may distract the audience from the opening scene which we want them to focus on, so therefore we decided to add white noise as part of the title sequence so that we could display text on that.
Example of scream, showing typical thriller colours
Saturday 19 February 2011
Costume
Typical costume of characters within a pshycological thriller.
From looking at other professional pshycological thrillers, it shows that all the main characters in each of the pshycological thrillers i have looked into, have been well dressed, perhaps showing buisnessman, but almost always in some kind of uniform or suit. Here are a few examples:
This image is from Momento, and this is the main character with pshycological issues. He is wearing a suit. Smartly dressed, clean.
This image is from Phone booth of the main character and another character, both in suits, the main character is dressed a little more smartly and cleanly then the other (right)
This image is from catch me if you can, also the main character in a pilot uniform, (suit) smartly dressed, also a pshycological character, a fraud.
From looking at other professional pshycological thrillers, it shows that all the main characters in each of the pshycological thrillers i have looked into, have been well dressed, perhaps showing buisnessman, but almost always in some kind of uniform or suit. Here are a few examples:
 |
| Momento |
 |
| Phone Booth |
 |
| Catch me if you can |
What we need to have an understanding of
When producing our film project we need to have an understanding of:
- using a tripod
- using a camrecorder
- using final cut
- using garage band
- understanding what we need to include for the micro elements
- be aware of health and saftely
- think about times of the day to film
- think about costume
Editing 1
Editing
We first uploaded all of our footage onto garage band and put it in an order to see how it looked, we found that because we filmed in school hours, the lighting was day light. So we had to find ajustments on the video colour corrector to make it look like the camera was on night mode. We brought up colour corrector and made it dark and green to give it the night time affect however the sky was green, making it obvious that it was daylight still, so this is a difficulty we should have thought about before hand. Aswell as the lighting we had to add small sections off blank video to apply text onto it, to show our names as part of the title sequence. When doing this we found that it did not look ''scary'' enough so we decided to add the ''white noise ''/ ''tv static'' effect however we did consider the simple black background with white text, as it was a typical convention of the title sequence of thrillers which we found from research.
Colour Corrector effect ^
After looking at the editing we had done we decided as a group to use the white noise effect as we thought it made it more clear about the cutting from different scenes, and locations. Also we used a type writer effect to make it look more pshycological, we got the ideas from looking at other thrillers such as 'Momento'.
Adding text ^
When using the text tools we set our font to 'BROKENGHOST' rather then having a general obvious text like 'times new roman' we think that the text we chose made a better effect then if the text was simple and blunt although some pshycological thrillers do use capital letters with simple fonts such as 'tahoma'.
We first uploaded all of our footage onto garage band and put it in an order to see how it looked, we found that because we filmed in school hours, the lighting was day light. So we had to find ajustments on the video colour corrector to make it look like the camera was on night mode. We brought up colour corrector and made it dark and green to give it the night time affect however the sky was green, making it obvious that it was daylight still, so this is a difficulty we should have thought about before hand. Aswell as the lighting we had to add small sections off blank video to apply text onto it, to show our names as part of the title sequence. When doing this we found that it did not look ''scary'' enough so we decided to add the ''white noise ''/ ''tv static'' effect however we did consider the simple black background with white text, as it was a typical convention of the title sequence of thrillers which we found from research.
Colour Corrector effect ^
After looking at the editing we had done we decided as a group to use the white noise effect as we thought it made it more clear about the cutting from different scenes, and locations. Also we used a type writer effect to make it look more pshycological, we got the ideas from looking at other thrillers such as 'Momento'.
Adding text ^
When using the text tools we set our font to 'BROKENGHOST' rather then having a general obvious text like 'times new roman' we think that the text we chose made a better effect then if the text was simple and blunt although some pshycological thrillers do use capital letters with simple fonts such as 'tahoma'.
Thursday 17 February 2011
Micro Elements
Editing
Mise-en-scene
the location of our production helps to generate the genre of the film, set from the very beginning in a dark and desolate area, with strange and unusual lighting which makes the audience feel uneasy from the very first few moments. in this sequence you do not see the characters, but what you do see can help to establish the character types, you see the boy running through the forest, all you see is his shoes which establish that he is an ordinary person, fairly young as he is wearing white trainers, which could help the audience to decide whose side they think they ma be on for this film. they may feel sympathy as in this shot he is clearly in danger, which is shown by the way this character is running and panting.
Camera work
When filming our product we made sure that we did not use a tripod, we wanted a point of view, hand held camera to be used. To make a better effect, so the audience would be in the characters point of view. We got the idea from parts of 'Momento' and mainly the 'Blaire witch project' which is a little more horror then thriller however we wanted to see the effect it had on the audience, it would make them feel in the position of the suspect, running away from the antagonist, and also being in the antagonists point of view when in the dark rooms. There was not much camera work involved apart from the handi cam, because we didn't have to ensure any particular shots etc.
Sound
when we filmed our sequence we got some unwanted sound - wind, voices, background noises etc.. so when we were editing we removed some of these sounds, as they make our production sound unproffessional. We did, however, use some of the sounds we had such as the sound of the running, the dialogue etc, which helped to put across meaning in our opening, and gains the reality of the situation the characters are in. We also added in some sounds upon editing, such as the white noise inbetween clips, this heps to make the white noise very frightening, as the unnatural sudden lack of picture combined with the sound can startle the audience.
Mise-en-scene
the location of our production helps to generate the genre of the film, set from the very beginning in a dark and desolate area, with strange and unusual lighting which makes the audience feel uneasy from the very first few moments. in this sequence you do not see the characters, but what you do see can help to establish the character types, you see the boy running through the forest, all you see is his shoes which establish that he is an ordinary person, fairly young as he is wearing white trainers, which could help the audience to decide whose side they think they ma be on for this film. they may feel sympathy as in this shot he is clearly in danger, which is shown by the way this character is running and panting.
Camera work
When filming our product we made sure that we did not use a tripod, we wanted a point of view, hand held camera to be used. To make a better effect, so the audience would be in the characters point of view. We got the idea from parts of 'Momento' and mainly the 'Blaire witch project' which is a little more horror then thriller however we wanted to see the effect it had on the audience, it would make them feel in the position of the suspect, running away from the antagonist, and also being in the antagonists point of view when in the dark rooms. There was not much camera work involved apart from the handi cam, because we didn't have to ensure any particular shots etc.
Sound
when we filmed our sequence we got some unwanted sound - wind, voices, background noises etc.. so when we were editing we removed some of these sounds, as they make our production sound unproffessional. We did, however, use some of the sounds we had such as the sound of the running, the dialogue etc, which helped to put across meaning in our opening, and gains the reality of the situation the characters are in. We also added in some sounds upon editing, such as the white noise inbetween clips, this heps to make the white noise very frightening, as the unnatural sudden lack of picture combined with the sound can startle the audience.
Monday 14 February 2011
Target Audience
Target audience
The target audience for our thriller project is both male and females ages 15-30. Our target audience can be divided into two categories 15-20 and 20-30, because they will have different interests. Teenagers enjoy things like going out with their friends to cinema's which the older category may also enjoy, so our project would appeal to them both. However teenagers or 15-20 year olds like going out clubbing, shopping with friends, sports activities etc.
Our thriller project conforms to the 15 classification meaning that no-one under the age of 15 can view it, because it may be found inappropriate. We feel that our target audience 15-30 allows teenagers to enjoy our film but also allows the older generation as-well, although if anyone above 30 feels they want to watch it there are no restrictions that they can not, we just feel that 20-30 year olds would enjoy it, as university students etc as-well as teens enjoy watching 'scary films'. Majority of 20-30 year olds are employed and have children perhaps so they feel a need to go out once and a while and see films at cinemas.
Our product would be enjoyed by our target audience mainly because of its genre being a psychological thrillers, we tried making it similar to other professional psychological thrillers like 'Catch me if you can', and 'Momento' which have been popular with 15-35 year olds. This is why we have tried to get our project similar to others to ensure our target audience will enjoy it.
The target audience for our thriller project is both male and females ages 15-30. Our target audience can be divided into two categories 15-20 and 20-30, because they will have different interests. Teenagers enjoy things like going out with their friends to cinema's which the older category may also enjoy, so our project would appeal to them both. However teenagers or 15-20 year olds like going out clubbing, shopping with friends, sports activities etc.
Our thriller project conforms to the 15 classification meaning that no-one under the age of 15 can view it, because it may be found inappropriate. We feel that our target audience 15-30 allows teenagers to enjoy our film but also allows the older generation as-well, although if anyone above 30 feels they want to watch it there are no restrictions that they can not, we just feel that 20-30 year olds would enjoy it, as university students etc as-well as teens enjoy watching 'scary films'. Majority of 20-30 year olds are employed and have children perhaps so they feel a need to go out once and a while and see films at cinemas.
Our product would be enjoyed by our target audience mainly because of its genre being a psychological thrillers, we tried making it similar to other professional psychological thrillers like 'Catch me if you can', and 'Momento' which have been popular with 15-35 year olds. This is why we have tried to get our project similar to others to ensure our target audience will enjoy it.
Saturday 12 February 2011
Font Examples
FONT EXAMPLES
I searched on google for thriller fonts and this is what i found out, they are all very similar, usually capitals or the first and last letters are bigger then those in the middle, this is clearly a convention of the font of thrillers. Looking at various other examples of thrillers title sequences, I can see that the colours are generally dark, ie black, blue, red, usually a connotation of the theme or genre. However white is usually used with black, for example black background with white text or vise versa. Examples of this would be 'Inception' 'Catch me if you can' and 'Phone booth'.
I researched different kinds of thriller fonts online and found a bunch of them, i put them all together on one image to look at them as a whole and compare, and looking at them its clear why they are used, they are mostly bigger on the first and last letters, also capitals are used alot of the time, aswell as the ends of the letters being exaggerated. Some of the fonts have an almost scratched look about them, making it look scary, also some fonts have things like blood dripping from the bottom of the letters.
I searched on google for thriller fonts and this is what i found out, they are all very similar, usually capitals or the first and last letters are bigger then those in the middle, this is clearly a convention of the font of thrillers. Looking at various other examples of thrillers title sequences, I can see that the colours are generally dark, ie black, blue, red, usually a connotation of the theme or genre. However white is usually used with black, for example black background with white text or vise versa. Examples of this would be 'Inception' 'Catch me if you can' and 'Phone booth'.
I researched different kinds of thriller fonts online and found a bunch of them, i put them all together on one image to look at them as a whole and compare, and looking at them its clear why they are used, they are mostly bigger on the first and last letters, also capitals are used alot of the time, aswell as the ends of the letters being exaggerated. Some of the fonts have an almost scratched look about them, making it look scary, also some fonts have things like blood dripping from the bottom of the letters.
Thursday 10 February 2011
Font and colour scheme of title sequence.
INCEPTION
This shot of the title sequence from inception shows the colour scheme being simple, black and white, black background with white bold and in capitals writing so that it stands out and the audience is immediately drawn to it, because it is the production company name. The font looks simple and sophistocated perhaps trying to suggest the genre.
This shot of the title sequence from inception shows the colour scheme being simple, black and white, black background with white bold and in capitals writing so that it stands out and the audience is immediately drawn to it, because it is the production company name. The font looks simple and sophistocated perhaps trying to suggest the genre.
Wednesday 9 February 2011
What we have learnt from Amar
Script writing
Sam, Michael, Saffron and Lindsay
- Write all ideas
- Write it simple like so that everyone knows what the story does entail.
- Each scene should have a new paragraph
- Label with interior and exterior
- End with day or night to show what time it is.
- Acting it out will help to identify problems
- Don't make it too complicated.
- When you find a suitable location, take lots of photographs to know where everything is.
- Source info, e.g location of toilets, car park, food etc.
- Think about filming location without background noise for dialougue.
- Take a variety of shots so background etc. is visible.
- How things look
- Always have shotlist, annotate script
- Tell story in the simplest way
Sam, Michael, Saffron and Lindsay
Why thriller thrive!
We go to the cinema to see our lives reflected on the screen, but the kind of lives we don't actually experience ourselves or the same life but with differences, emotional disturbances also known as ''thrills''.
We feel that our nature needs ''shake ups'' other wise without them we become sluggish, but our best way to experience this is artificially, on the screen. When in a theatre we can see what's happening from out seats, and we can watch the struggle of life, but to appreciate the characters we have to project ourselves into their consciousness, where we get our thrills 3, which isn't a good method, watching a film we don't watching we participate in the movie.
When we are watching the films we are put in the thrillers seat, so that shudder runs through us as the audience but we know there is no harm as our subconscious knows that we are safe in our chairs just watching. Even when we leave the cinema they can leave us with a subconscious assurance of safely but yet still surprise our imagination into playing tricks on us. There is a another type of thrill where the audience seems to participate, where a certain characters have gained the audiences sympathy and is then involved in danger, and the screen can be used to make the impression of great danger when in-fact there is none.
An example of this would be that suppose the protagonist is to throw themselves over a castle rampart into a moat filled with a crocodile on stage you can hear the characters should there are crocodiles and you see the hero jump upstage and disappear and hear maybe some water splash, this isn't as affective. However when on screen you can see for yourself a terrible height, you see the reptiles swimming around you see him jump,fall,hit the water, you watch him swim away desperately you see and believe the evidence with your own eyes.
Scenes that set the blood pounding through the veins, are in-fact beneficial for indigestion, gout, rheumatism, sciatica, and premature middle age. The audience thrives on thrills, the cinema thrives from the audience, the directors thrive from the cinema so everyone wins. However ''horror'' films are entirely different situation. The term ''extreme aversion'' has been loosely applied to films, to give an emotional jolt, exploit sadism, perversion, bestiality and deformity, it is wrong to be vicious and dangerous. Its aloud to be horrific but not horrible.
Thrillers must be wholehearted the more exiting the better it is and from this we can see that the authentic ''thriller'' will thrive and the ''horror'' will soon die and fade out.
We feel that our nature needs ''shake ups'' other wise without them we become sluggish, but our best way to experience this is artificially, on the screen. When in a theatre we can see what's happening from out seats, and we can watch the struggle of life, but to appreciate the characters we have to project ourselves into their consciousness, where we get our thrills 3, which isn't a good method, watching a film we don't watching we participate in the movie.
When we are watching the films we are put in the thrillers seat, so that shudder runs through us as the audience but we know there is no harm as our subconscious knows that we are safe in our chairs just watching. Even when we leave the cinema they can leave us with a subconscious assurance of safely but yet still surprise our imagination into playing tricks on us. There is a another type of thrill where the audience seems to participate, where a certain characters have gained the audiences sympathy and is then involved in danger, and the screen can be used to make the impression of great danger when in-fact there is none.
An example of this would be that suppose the protagonist is to throw themselves over a castle rampart into a moat filled with a crocodile on stage you can hear the characters should there are crocodiles and you see the hero jump upstage and disappear and hear maybe some water splash, this isn't as affective. However when on screen you can see for yourself a terrible height, you see the reptiles swimming around you see him jump,fall,hit the water, you watch him swim away desperately you see and believe the evidence with your own eyes.
Scenes that set the blood pounding through the veins, are in-fact beneficial for indigestion, gout, rheumatism, sciatica, and premature middle age. The audience thrives on thrills, the cinema thrives from the audience, the directors thrive from the cinema so everyone wins. However ''horror'' films are entirely different situation. The term ''extreme aversion'' has been loosely applied to films, to give an emotional jolt, exploit sadism, perversion, bestiality and deformity, it is wrong to be vicious and dangerous. Its aloud to be horrific but not horrible.
Thrillers must be wholehearted the more exiting the better it is and from this we can see that the authentic ''thriller'' will thrive and the ''horror'' will soon die and fade out.
Wednesday 2 February 2011
Digital Storyboard
SHOT 1
Character running through forest, Handicam, shot of characters feet to show movement.
SHOT 2
Unknown character in dark room looking at photo of the victim, the dark ness, shows/connotes tension.
SHOT 3
Running through forest-handi cam, showing panic as character runs away
SHOT 7
P.O.V shot in dark room of antagonist looking at photograph of the victim
SHOT 14
LAST SHOT- tilted cam to show character falling to ground.
Saffron and Sam
Character running through forest, Handicam, shot of characters feet to show movement.
SHOT 2
Unknown character in dark room looking at photo of the victim, the dark ness, shows/connotes tension.
SHOT 3
Running through forest-handi cam, showing panic as character runs away
SHOT 7
P.O.V shot in dark room of antagonist looking at photograph of the victim
SHOT 14
LAST SHOT- tilted cam to show character falling to ground.
Saffron and Sam
Risk Assesment
Possible hazards or difficulties which we may comes across whilst filming, also health and safety risks we need to consider and be aware of whilst filming.
Mis-en-scene blog.
Location 1 - The forest- giving a scary effect, because the forest is known for being scary and a place of the 'unknown'.
Location 2 - The Dark room- just to emphasize the character looking at photographs of character 1 and with the lighting in dark rooms being very low it also creates a tense atmosphere.
Costume- Young male, usual clothing, jeans, top, trainers etc.
Not giving away anything about the character being a victim, that merely relies on the body language.
Antagonist- ( unknown character ) dark clothing, connoting the ''evilness'' or maybe some kind of suit, which is common for 'patients' in psychological thrillers. Only 2 characters are shown so there is only 2 costumes, one dark, one light colored, trying to show the antagonist and protagonist roles.
Lighting- We will most likely be filming in dark areas, e.g. dark room, also in the forest we will want it to look scary and dark so we may have to wait until its dark, but also we need to be aware of the weather incase it rains/snows etc. We want it to overall be dark so that it emphasizes the psychological thriller genre and also create tension on the audience.
Props- there are not many props in our film only the characters newspaper cuttings and pictures of the victim to emphasize the fact he is 'stalking' the first character. There will be enlargers, and chemicals in the dark rooms which could be classed as props. however in the forest the only things we will have is the filming equipment which will not be seen.
Sam and Saffron
Location 2 - The Dark room- just to emphasize the character looking at photographs of character 1 and with the lighting in dark rooms being very low it also creates a tense atmosphere.
Costume- Young male, usual clothing, jeans, top, trainers etc.
Not giving away anything about the character being a victim, that merely relies on the body language.
Antagonist- ( unknown character ) dark clothing, connoting the ''evilness'' or maybe some kind of suit, which is common for 'patients' in psychological thrillers. Only 2 characters are shown so there is only 2 costumes, one dark, one light colored, trying to show the antagonist and protagonist roles.
Lighting- We will most likely be filming in dark areas, e.g. dark room, also in the forest we will want it to look scary and dark so we may have to wait until its dark, but also we need to be aware of the weather incase it rains/snows etc. We want it to overall be dark so that it emphasizes the psychological thriller genre and also create tension on the audience.
Props- there are not many props in our film only the characters newspaper cuttings and pictures of the victim to emphasize the fact he is 'stalking' the first character. There will be enlargers, and chemicals in the dark rooms which could be classed as props. however in the forest the only things we will have is the filming equipment which will not be seen.
Sam and Saffron
Shooting Scheduel
LOCATION 1- The forest
LOCATION 2- The Dark room
Friday 4th February- Day time
4.10- Collect camera equipment from college.
Monday 7th February- Day time
9.00- Go to LOCATION 1 : The forest
9.05-10.00- Set up equipment and begin to shoot. Shots 1, 2, 6.
Tuesday 8th February- Day time
12.20- Go to LOCATION 1: The forest
12.30-2.40-Film shots 7, 9, 11.
2.45- Go to LOCATION 2: Dark room
2.50-3.30- Set up equipment and film shots 3,4,5.
4.10- Return equipment to college.
Wednesday 9th February-Day time
11.00- Collect filming equipment
11.05- Go to LOCATION 2: Dark room
11.15-11.45- Shoot shots 8, 10.
Thursday 10th February- Day time
9.00- Go to LOCATION 1: The forest
9-05-10.00- filming last shots of 12, 13, 14.
By Saffron and Lynsey
LOCATION 2- The Dark room
Friday 4th February- Day time
4.10- Collect camera equipment from college.
Monday 7th February- Day time
9.00- Go to LOCATION 1 : The forest
9.05-10.00- Set up equipment and begin to shoot. Shots 1, 2, 6.
Tuesday 8th February- Day time
12.20- Go to LOCATION 1: The forest
12.30-2.40-Film shots 7, 9, 11.
2.45- Go to LOCATION 2: Dark room
2.50-3.30- Set up equipment and film shots 3,4,5.
4.10- Return equipment to college.
Wednesday 9th February-Day time
11.00- Collect filming equipment
11.05- Go to LOCATION 2: Dark room
11.15-11.45- Shoot shots 8, 10.
Thursday 10th February- Day time
9.00- Go to LOCATION 1: The forest
9-05-10.00- filming last shots of 12, 13, 14.
By Saffron and Lynsey
Location recce
`First location: Forest ( in college grounds )
- if there is construction work/maintenance taking place.
- train going past - would make too much noise.
- alot of background noise for example winds
- weather may make it hard to film e.g. rain. snow!
- other students in forest filming might get in the way
- areas off limits
- health and safety issues
Second location: Dark room ( in college )
- other students using it
- not enough light in the room to see what is going on
- too much background noise from students/machines
- not aloud to film in certain times, ( when class is on )
- health and safety issues
- chemicals on floor or on work tops
- not have permission to film
Saffron and Lynsey
Pictures of our location ideas.
Google Maps of College grounds.
Facilities
Considering we are filming in the college grounds, we know that we are surrounded by the possible needed facilities, eg. Toilets, are close to the forest and the dark room, also food places are close by (refectory) and also in the case of the dark rooms for health and safety there are teachers who are around for first aid, and also eye wash stations available. So in the case of an emergency or need of toilet or food the facilities are close by and every member of our group are aware so there would be no disruption to the filming.
Saffron and Lynsey
Monday 31 January 2011
Script
2 characters: character 1 unknown, character 2 michael.
location: dark room, and forest.
Script
Ext and Int
Starts with (nondiegetic sounds) panting and as we see Michael, the first character, which at this point is unknown is running though the forest. The scene cuts to and from the unknown character in a room (dark room) looking at photographs and newspapers cutting of Michael. The opening scence continuously cuts from Michael running away from something, and the unknown character 'stalking' Michael. Michael is running in panic and in fear of the unknown character, and this emotion continues until towards the end of the opening scene where Michael falls over with the camera in hand, which is then left on floor tilted and michael is no longer seen, and the last shot is of the unknown character coming up close to the camera to make the audience feel tense.
By Saffron.
location: dark room, and forest.
Script
Ext and Int
Starts with (nondiegetic sounds) panting and as we see Michael, the first character, which at this point is unknown is running though the forest. The scene cuts to and from the unknown character in a room (dark room) looking at photographs and newspapers cutting of Michael. The opening scence continuously cuts from Michael running away from something, and the unknown character 'stalking' Michael. Michael is running in panic and in fear of the unknown character, and this emotion continues until towards the end of the opening scene where Michael falls over with the camera in hand, which is then left on floor tilted and michael is no longer seen, and the last shot is of the unknown character coming up close to the camera to make the audience feel tense.
By Saffron.
Storyboard
By Sam Saffron and Michael
Extra:
Our storyboard doesnt contain alot of detail but we are hoping that through the pitch and the script it will help to show a better and give a better understanding of our idea's. Aswell as help from the mindmap, which shoes a breif outline of what we were hoping for. As a group we are all happy with the storyboard however due to filming conditions and health and safety etc, we may decide to later on change a few shots, or maybe the ordering of them as it could be hard to film and possibly too hard for the audience to comprehend.
By Saffron
Thursday 27 January 2011
BBFC classifications
Classicication 15
No one younger then the age of 15 may see a '15' rated cinema, and no one younger then '15' can rent or buy a '15' movie or game. Cant endorse discriminatory language or behavior. Don't promote or encourage drug use. Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised. Dangerous behavior should not be very details enough for 15's to copy. Strong language is allowed frequently. Nudity allowed but no strong detail to sexual contact. Violence may be strong but should not dwell on inflicted pain.
Classification '18'
No one under the age of 18 may see a 18 rated film in cinema, and also must not rent or buy and 18 rated video. Where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence. Where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals.
Saffron Sam Lindsay and Michael Especially Michael
Classification '18'
No one under the age of 18 may see a 18 rated film in cinema, and also must not rent or buy and 18 rated video. Where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence. Where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals.
Saffron Sam Lindsay and Michael Especially Michael
Feedback from presentation.
Things we need to work on:
- Where would we progress from when the camera is dropped?
- Think about creating shadows
- Thinking about lighting
- Health and safety
Positive feedback
- Delivery of presentation was good
- Lots of detail
- Confident with every part
- Good ending
- Good detail of genre conventions
- Applied conventions well
- Where would we progress from when the camera is dropped?
- Think about creating shadows
- Thinking about lighting
- Health and safety
Positive feedback
- Delivery of presentation was good
- Lots of detail
- Confident with every part
- Good ending
- Good detail of genre conventions
- Applied conventions well
Monday 24 January 2011
Planning for Pitch Part 2 (Thriller Opening Sequence)
Characters
The main characters in our opening sequence do not appear in the sequence, they are not explored until later on in the film. The identity of the character in our opening sequence is unknown. We have decided to have it set out this way to add suspense from the very beginning of the film.
Suggested Locations
A forest implies isolation from civilisation, which scares the civilised person. A dark room is also a proposed location, as humans are generally afraid of the dark because it implies the unknown which humans are scared of.
The main characters in our opening sequence do not appear in the sequence, they are not explored until later on in the film. The identity of the character in our opening sequence is unknown. We have decided to have it set out this way to add suspense from the very beginning of the film.
Suggested Locations
A forest implies isolation from civilisation, which scares the civilised person. A dark room is also a proposed location, as humans are generally afraid of the dark because it implies the unknown which humans are scared of.
Pitch
Narrative of opening sequence
- starts as a hand held camera (used for effect)
- shots of a unknown characters face, and feet, not giving away who the character actually is
- no introduction to any main characters
- running through forest- scene
- only dialogue is screams and ''help me''.
- shots of a shadow lurking around in trees
- use of tv cutting out as a erie effect
- insipred by 'blaire witch project'
Overall, its a pshycological thriller, with hints of mystery and perhaps horror. The opening scene starts with the title sequence (short) followed by a character which is unknown, panting whilst running through the forest, clearly running away from something but its not shown what, non diegetic sounds of heart beating, and shots of the characters face cutting in an out with the tv white noise, and also shots of s mysterious character looking through pictures, and negatives and newspapers, as part of the title sequence. Nothing else of the narrative is revealed, the scene ends with the camera being dropped on the floor and the camera still recording.
Subgenre Conventions:
Psychological thrillers narrative usually contain a character with some kind of mental illness or issue, the thrillers usually contain twists in the film, also emotions or feelings are explored, also characters discovering reality, the core of the narrative is situated round the mind, themes of identity and also the characters are normally in search for their purpose.
- From this we was hoping that through the opening scene the audience would be able to gather it has something to do with a psychological thriller, its all about mind games making the genre obvious, also with the main characters not being shown directly at the beginning of our film.
When thinking about the subgenres, we thought about what other thrillers made up come up with our idea, we found that momento and parts of blair witch project have helped us to construct our opening sequence.
Looking at the opening sequence of momento you can see from our narrative ideas which parts we have came up with from inspiration.
When thinking about the subgenres, we thought about what other thrillers made up come up with our idea, we found that momento and parts of blair witch project have helped us to construct our opening sequence.
Looking at the opening sequence of momento you can see from our narrative ideas which parts we have came up with from inspiration.
Sunday 23 January 2011
Film production logo
Dreamworks
Lionsgate
Disney Pixar
Warner Brothers
A production logo is generally used by tv production companies, and movie studios to brand what they produce, they are normally seen at the beginning of a movie, or sometimes at the end of a television programme. Within movies they are usually played during, before or after the title sequence. The most famous film logos, are 20th centry fox, Paramount pictures, Walt disney pictures, Warner brothers, Dreamworks etc.
Thursday 20 January 2011
Antagonist and Protagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist (opponent/villain/enemy) is usually a character, group, or institution which are against the protagonist(hero/heroine). Generally a story/film consists of an hero fighting or defeating a villain, which are recognized as being the antagonist and protagonist. The antagonist can sometimes be regarded as a threat, or an obstacle that the protagonist has to tackle. However sometimes a producer makes the film/story in the antagonist point of view so in which the protagonist would be the supposed ''antagonist''. Antagonist usually provides the stories conflicts.
Protagonist
The protagonist is usually the main character, but it is known to also be a kind of helper for example the male hero who rescues a ''damsel in distress'' so in that case its not always the main character, but is one of them. The protagonist is usually the centre of the narrative and whom the audience share empathy with. The protagonist is usually faced with the threats, or obstacles that the antagonist presents to him/her. There is also a thing called a '' false protagonist'' for example sometimes in film, something will offer the character as a protagonist, and then dispose of that making it ''false''.
Antagonist and Protagonist in the trailer.
Prom night could be classed as both physiological and crime/action thriller, because of the narrative. In the trailer although we never get to see the characters face we can see who is the antagonist ( by costume, props, fact people are scared, running etc), and the fact the character is killing people and is looking for one particular character which is seen to be the ''damsel in distress'' but also, although its just a trailer it seems to the audience that the police officer/detective is the protagonist as he is trying to save the 'damsel' so it shows him as being the supposed 'hero' of the film and trying to find the protagonist by reassuring the damsel (victim) that she will be safe and that he is looking for the villian.
An antagonist (opponent/villain/enemy) is usually a character, group, or institution which are against the protagonist(hero/heroine). Generally a story/film consists of an hero fighting or defeating a villain, which are recognized as being the antagonist and protagonist. The antagonist can sometimes be regarded as a threat, or an obstacle that the protagonist has to tackle. However sometimes a producer makes the film/story in the antagonist point of view so in which the protagonist would be the supposed ''antagonist''. Antagonist usually provides the stories conflicts.
Protagonist
The protagonist is usually the main character, but it is known to also be a kind of helper for example the male hero who rescues a ''damsel in distress'' so in that case its not always the main character, but is one of them. The protagonist is usually the centre of the narrative and whom the audience share empathy with. The protagonist is usually faced with the threats, or obstacles that the antagonist presents to him/her. There is also a thing called a '' false protagonist'' for example sometimes in film, something will offer the character as a protagonist, and then dispose of that making it ''false''.
Antagonist and Protagonist in the trailer.
Prom night could be classed as both physiological and crime/action thriller, because of the narrative. In the trailer although we never get to see the characters face we can see who is the antagonist ( by costume, props, fact people are scared, running etc), and the fact the character is killing people and is looking for one particular character which is seen to be the ''damsel in distress'' but also, although its just a trailer it seems to the audience that the police officer/detective is the protagonist as he is trying to save the 'damsel' so it shows him as being the supposed 'hero' of the film and trying to find the protagonist by reassuring the damsel (victim) that she will be safe and that he is looking for the villian.
Soundtrack.
Thriller Soundtrack
Evaluation
We decided to use dark and intense sounds and beats to create our soundtrack, we wanted to create an effect so it made the audience feel tense, and maybe be able to relate this to the actual film for example things like 'jaws', the iconic sound of him coming. Which the audience can easily recognize. We hoped that our soundtrack would have a similar effect. Also being able to give an erie atmosphere, we also thought that it could be used for any kind of thriller for example, psychological because of the use of the piano, crime or action because of the percussion making it a little more upbeat and fast, like a chase scene, or even a political thriller because the sounds all added together make a good combination and could be used for political, because its got a range of high and low tones, also slow and fast paced sounds. We think our soundtrack is most like 'Catch me if you can' as its upbeat and fast in some parts and slower in others trying to show the character changing and running, and we think because of our soundtrack having fast and lively tones it makes it very similar.
B
Evaluation
We decided to use dark and intense sounds and beats to create our soundtrack, we wanted to create an effect so it made the audience feel tense, and maybe be able to relate this to the actual film for example things like 'jaws', the iconic sound of him coming. Which the audience can easily recognize. We hoped that our soundtrack would have a similar effect. Also being able to give an erie atmosphere, we also thought that it could be used for any kind of thriller for example, psychological because of the use of the piano, crime or action because of the percussion making it a little more upbeat and fast, like a chase scene, or even a political thriller because the sounds all added together make a good combination and could be used for political, because its got a range of high and low tones, also slow and fast paced sounds. We think our soundtrack is most like 'Catch me if you can' as its upbeat and fast in some parts and slower in others trying to show the character changing and running, and we think because of our soundtrack having fast and lively tones it makes it very similar.B
Wednesday 19 January 2011
Analysis of sound in thriller opening sequences.
Catch me if you can:
Sound within Catch me if you can
From the beginning of Catch me if you can it uses a non-diegetic background track to introduce the genre of thriller. It is fast paced and lively, but also adds a hint of mystery, its also used to go together with the images on the screen which is ''cartoon like''. Towards the end of the title sequence a sound bridge is used to lead it into the opening scene. It also relates to the genre of its Sub-genre Crime thriller, its fast paced and jumpy like the usual convention of a Crime thriller. The idea is meant to show a man being chased so this ongoing non-diegetic soundtrack shows this, and also the add of the boom at the end of the title sequence adds to the effect.
Surface
Sound within Surface
The sound used within surface is tense, and there is a part which uses a women gasping, and fast paced cuts of radio/ tv static sounds (white noise), also an underlying faded mysterious non-diegetic soundtrack which gradually goes up and down throughout the opening sequence. There is an almost dark aura to represent its genre of a psychological thriller. There is also short small sounds of thumping, doors squeaking, screaming noises it adds to the thriller atmosphere of the genre.
Se7en
Sound within Se7en
Se7en uses a non diegetic soundtrack to opening of the film, also harsh percussions to get a pulse raising atmosphere, aswell as using fades up and downs to add to the visuals at particular times of the title sequence, when there are visuals of the the photographs and writing there is a use of the tv static which seems to be commonly used in thriller film opening sequences to create tension and mystery. Also as these sounds are being played there is also a faded background track being played just softer and quieter then it started at the beginning of the sequence.
By Saffron Sam and Michael
Sound within Catch me if you can
From the beginning of Catch me if you can it uses a non-diegetic background track to introduce the genre of thriller. It is fast paced and lively, but also adds a hint of mystery, its also used to go together with the images on the screen which is ''cartoon like''. Towards the end of the title sequence a sound bridge is used to lead it into the opening scene. It also relates to the genre of its Sub-genre Crime thriller, its fast paced and jumpy like the usual convention of a Crime thriller. The idea is meant to show a man being chased so this ongoing non-diegetic soundtrack shows this, and also the add of the boom at the end of the title sequence adds to the effect.
Surface
Sound within Surface
The sound used within surface is tense, and there is a part which uses a women gasping, and fast paced cuts of radio/ tv static sounds (white noise), also an underlying faded mysterious non-diegetic soundtrack which gradually goes up and down throughout the opening sequence. There is an almost dark aura to represent its genre of a psychological thriller. There is also short small sounds of thumping, doors squeaking, screaming noises it adds to the thriller atmosphere of the genre.
Se7en
Sound within Se7en
Se7en uses a non diegetic soundtrack to opening of the film, also harsh percussions to get a pulse raising atmosphere, aswell as using fades up and downs to add to the visuals at particular times of the title sequence, when there are visuals of the the photographs and writing there is a use of the tv static which seems to be commonly used in thriller film opening sequences to create tension and mystery. Also as these sounds are being played there is also a faded background track being played just softer and quieter then it started at the beginning of the sequence.
By Saffron Sam and Michael
Monday 17 January 2011
Openings of Panic Room and Rear Window
The opening of Panic Room consists of calm, areal shots of New York city, contrasting with the creepy dramatic music. After a time, the music becomes more fast paced, but still dramatic, which against the unfitting footage of a normal day in New York, creates an unsettling sensation. It implies that everything is not quite as it seems.
The opening of Rear Window consists of light, jazzy, energetic music with footage of blinds opening. It is perculiarly unfitting for the thriller genre, and seems to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. Both openings use unfitting micro-elements, but to create different macro elements.
The opening of Rear Window consists of light, jazzy, energetic music with footage of blinds opening. It is perculiarly unfitting for the thriller genre, and seems to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. Both openings use unfitting micro-elements, but to create different macro elements.
Marking Criteria
Video
Level 4
Level 4
Research and planning
overall i have given this group a Level 4 for their blog although they had some elements of Level Three quality.
Video
Planning and research
By Lynsey, Sam and Michael.
Level 4
- holding a shot steady, where appropriate;
- framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;
- using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
- shooting material appropriate to the task set;
- selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;
- editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer;
- using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set;
- using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
- using titles appropriately.
Level 4
- there is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience;
- there is excellent organisation of actors, location, costumes or props;
- there is excellent work on shot lists, layouts , drafting, scripting or story boarding;
- there is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning;
- time management is excellent
Research and planning
overall i have given this group a Level 4 for their blog although they had some elements of Level Three quality.
Video
- they have excellently held the camera steady where appropriate, and unsteady in appropriate places
- they have used a variety of shot distances,
- it is very appropriate to the task which has been set
- there were a large amount of shot transitions, such as fades and such
- they have created a professional looking title sequence at the beginning, with a special 'jjr' productions logo sequence
- they have used sound with images and editing appropriately
- the soundtrack is very good, and very fitting for the sequence.
Planning and research
- they have done excellent research into similar products, what a thriller is, their potential target audience
- there is excellent organization of the actors, they have clearly thought hard about the setting of their preliminary task as they have pictures of other possible locations.
- they have clearly done allot of preparation as they have a rough plot idea
- they have planned what they are going to film in each session
By Lynsey, Sam and Michael.
Sunday 16 January 2011
Difference between Horror and Thriller
Horror
Thriller
- Often young cast, involving young children as it gets the audience more scared and tense.
- Generallly alot of violence or blood.
- Main focus of narrative generally murder or violence or torture.
- Sometimes multiple victims for example 'saw'
- Sometimes involves some kind of detective.
- Most characters do not survive when they ask ''who's there?'' or when a character investigates a strange noise.
- Main props used are knives for example ''Scream'' ''Halloween'' etc.
Thriller
- Mature cast, can often be well known 'expensive' actors.
- A detective can often be the lead in the film.
- the victim is not always clear to the audience
- Set in ordinary places, cities or suburban areas
- Often overlap with mystery storylines.
- Stalkers are often used.
- Characters involved in twisted relationships, or a love triangle.
- Complex narrative structure with false paths.
- Themes of identity, voyerism and mirroring
Saturday 15 January 2011
Pshycological thrillers
Conventions of a Psycological thriller
Pshycological thrillers narrative usually contain a character with some kind of mental illness or issue, the thrillers usually contain twists in the film, also emotions or feelings are explored, also characters discovering reality, the core of the narrative is situated round the mind, themes of identity and also the characters are normally in search for their purpose.
Examples of Psycological thrillers
by Saffron
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