Christmas work

As a group, we decided to go with idea 1. This is because we felt that it was the easiest to create the effects we want, and to shoot, without having any difficulties. It is close to where we live, and is perfect area. However, there are a few health and safety issues with it being a road, but because this is a very quite back road, they're shouldn't be many cars, if there is, it is a straight road and the cars would be able to clearly see us.

IDEA 3CONVENTIONS
The car park has always got someone minding it. But the one night it doesn't and the cameras are broken, a murder takes place. On November 6th Caroline, mother of 2, gets murdered whilst putting shopping in her car. Why her? Why does the murder take place the night everything breaks? DCI Miles has to investigate to find out who did it and why, discovering that it was planned all along...


COSTUME

police officer
outfit

Caroline: Normal day clothing. Jeans, shirt, jumper, coat, ugg boots. Her hair would be tied up in a pony tail out of the way. Make up would be minimal and natural. 
DCI Miles: Long dark coat, suit, dark shoes, leather gloves, grey scarf. 
Other police officers: In police uniform (big hi-vis coats)
The Murdered: dark clothing with balaclavas


LOCATION

This would be the perfect location to base the killing. This is because at night time, it is very eerie and would create the perfect atmosphere, as the trees and the lights create unusual shadows. Also, its great as there is a supermarket opposite, in which would be great as it would be a good back setting, and would set the scene.




LIGHTING
The shots would be shot at night, meaning that they would be very dark. They're would be the light from the street lights, and if we timed it right, the light from the full moon, however this may still be too dark. To make the lighting better, we could add an artificial light e.g; a spot light, which could be postione far away so that the light isnt focused on a specific spot and is more spread, lighting the area instead of the person. 

Christmas work

IDEA 2


CONVENTIONS
Caroline was just a normal girl, who stuck to her routine day in day out. That changes when Mr. Jones kinapps her whilst she was walking home from school one day in 1996. 10 years later, its still not been solved and her sister want to solve the investigation and get revenge, as nothing has ever been the same. By herself she slowly starts progressing as she finds out clues and thinks why her sister would get in the car that took her. After years of investigating she finds out some home truths, and discovers something in which she wish she never did....


COSTUME
Caroline: The costume in which she will be wear is her school uniform,as she is a school student, and its relevant as she is walking out of a school. This will show her age is between 11-16, indicating she is still a child. 


The Kidnappers: The kidnappers will wear dark clothing as it does not show much about there personality. Also they'll have balaclavas on which will conceal there identity to both the character Caroline and the audience. This will cause the audience to feel on edge not knowing who the people are.


LOCATION

This would be the location in which the kidnapping would take place. It would be perfect as it is the path coming out of Newport onto a main road, which would be easy for kidnappers to take young children.









LIGHTING
The lighting in which we use, would be natural lighting. There would be no need to add artificial lighting as it would be bright enough for the audience to see what its happening within the take, as it will be shot during the day. We would shoot our film on a bright day, just to make sure that the shots are clear and visible.

Christmas work

IDEA 1
CONVENTIONS:
No one heard her scream. No one came to help. No one listened to her cries and tried to save her. Now she's back. And she wants revenge. Did you hear her scream? Did you help her? If not, you're next.


COSTUME:

This picture from 'the ring' is very similar to how we
would want our character to look. However, our
character wont have her hair over her face.

The costume idea we have as a group, is too have our character in a long white gown, ripped with blood on it and having the character's hair across her face, so that the audience see her face. Also, the character will have no shoes on, suggesting she has struggled and lived 'rough'. However, we felt that this idea was bordering on "horror", so have changed it too having a plain white short dress as its more modern.Also we are not going to have her hair over her face, as the character is going to be walking away from the camera, making the audience wonder what and who the character is. We have used a very simple idea as it will make the audience think and ponder what and why the character is wearing what she is.


PROPS:
The only prop we are using when the character is walking down the road is a mobile phone. We are using this as it is contrasts against the simple old fashioned white gown, which is a classic 'Victorian' look. When we do the flash back's the props we will use then, is rope to show she has been tied up, and fake blood to show that she has been injured.


LOCATION:
Our main location for filming is; heydon, SG8 8PW. We are using this destination for our filming of when our character walks down the road. This location is perfect as it is a straight long road, with nothing but fields and tress's either side. It is safe to film as it isn't a busy road, and is easy to get to. To film the scenes wear our  character is struggling/tied up, would be in Caroline's basement, as it would be dark and would create an eerie feel to the atmosphere. Also, its a perfect place as it is just down the road from our chosen location at heydon.
Another good location which is a possibility is the bottom of the Garnetts in Takeley. It is a slightly bent road, in which would be great to film our character getting closer, however, Heydon sets a better atmosphere as it is long and straight with nothing but fields and trees either side.






LIGHTING:
The lighting we are going to use is a spot light (a very bright torch) which will shine down the road on the character. This will create an eerie atmosphere, as the audience will be only able too see the character and very little of the surroundings as we are going to film it in the evening creating a spooky atmosphere. The scene's which will be filmed within the basement; the lighting will be low key lighting which creates cold colours enabling a harsh mysterious atmosphere. It will also be a hard light which will clearly illuminate  areas, showing the characters expressions, imperfections in a less flattering image and shows details clearly. It also gives a crisp defined appearance to the object in view.

analysis of an antihero

The antihero is used in many Hollywood films , the anti hero plays the same role as a traditional hero but the character is very different . The traditional hero seems to be a form of perfection examples of this include clark kent he is almost perfect in every aspect of his life ; however an anti hero is not they often have drink or drug addictions problems with relationships , problems with there father bad dreams and either extremely celebate or extremly promiscuous, they generally do the right thing when it counts but can do so in a different way to which is expected for example most traditional heros would save the villian rather than kill them however an anti hero would just easily kill the villian.

our story board

First shot is of Amelia walking down a road alone	The camera then goes blury	an eariel shot of Amelia in a foetal position on the floor of carolines cellar
Another shot of amelia walking up the road this time she is several meters further up	The camera then goes blury again	The next shot is a matched cut of amelias hand clawing at a window
Another shot of amelia walking up the road this time she is several meters further up	The camera then goes blury again	Then a one shot of Amelia rocking distressed in the corner
The camera then goes blury again	POV shot of inside of Caroline’s cellar	The next shot is an over the shoulder shot of Amelia saying into her phone “its happened again”
THE REPEAT The title shown in distorted font with a white colour on a black background

response from email

This response states that we have permission to use the music which the user 'g1o2r3d4o5n6' created on youtube. Once we have created our opening thriller, we will then post it on youtube, making sure the user 'g1o2r3d4o5n6' see's the finishing result, and the way we used there product.

opening credits

SE7EN

Within the opening scene of the film se7en, they include;

• The production company; new line cinema.
• Who the film is by.
• The main actors, starting with the most popular.
• Glimpses of things related to the movie, in a very fast pace, to create suspense.
• The title of the film, to tell the sudience what its called.
• Who the film was casted by.
• Who the music is created by.
• Who the custumes are made by.
• Who its edited by.
• The production designer.
• The director of photography.
• The coexcutive producers.
• Executive producer.
• Written by produced by.
• Directed by

Font.

The font used in the opening credits on se7en is very creepy. They use two types of font; an eroded type font and an stone washed font. The effect it creates is a very eerie, and fits in well with the thriller theme.

 
They combine these fonts together, which creates a very disguised look about it, as its quite childish, and blurred so its uneasy to read. 

Permission for music.

The music that we wanted to use in our thriller is on our blogs (Hush Little Baby Nursery Rhyme) is from a un-copywrited youtube user. We emailed them to ask them if we could use their music for our Thriller film. This was the email that we sent:


We are currently a media students at Newport Free Grammar School in Essex, and we have been put into groups to complete an AS level project. The theme is to create the opening scenes to a "Thriller Film". We were looking for some music, and we came across your "hush little baby" video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ut1mYp0GL8

We need to ask for your permission to use it in our Thriller Film project. We would be grateful if you could allow us to use it, and send us a message back letting us know.
The thriller will also be posted onto youtube, so if you would like links to it to see how your music was used, we would be happy to link you the video. Thank you for your time,

Caroline Anderson, Miles Papier Bantick and Paige Reed.
AS media students.


We will post a future blog about the response that we get.

Evaluating Prelim.

For our preliminary work, we were told that we had to shoot a couple of scenes that included some speech. We decided that our short story line would be that Miles was a police officer who would be questioning me, Caroline about a crime that i had commited.

First shot.

Second shot.

We decided that we wanted to try and use as many different camera angles as we possibly could, without disrupting the 180 degree rule. We then came up with a storyboard that could tell us where we were going to be standing/sitting, what type of camera angles we would use and what speech we would say. After we had done this we then took a camera, chose a location to shoot and then started to film.

Third shot.

Fourth shot.

Once we had all of the footage that we needed, we went onto the Mac's and started to edit our piece. As we were doing so, we noticed some errors that we had made and some things that we would need to work on for our actual piece. The first thing that we noticed were how jumpy our cuts were, there were a few gaps where we hadn't put the cuts close enough to each other meaning there was a few seconds of black in between two shots.

Fifth shot.

Sixth shot.

Another thing that we noticed was that by using sometimes the camera handheld instead of on the tri-pod it meant that there were times when Paige was holding the camera and it was shaking, meaning that it looked very unprofessional and didn't look very good. Next time we could make sure that we use the tri-pod at all times to reduse this, or make sure it is obvious when we want the camera to look like it is hand held, i.e if we are doing a point of view shot.

We also noticed that some of the sound was distorted. This wasn't because of how we had shot the scene or the camera's, it was because we hadn't thought through properly how loudly we should speak so that we could be heard. When we go to film our real Thriller opening scenes we should make sure that we are clear on how loud we need to speak and how to make sure that the sounds we want in it are heard.

Another factor that meant our preliminary wasn't as good as it could have been was the fact that we were pushed for time. When we do our real thing we should come up with a timetable so that we know how long we have and how long we should be spending on shooting the scenes and editing in sound and effects. I think that when we do our actual Thriller opening, we will be a lot more prepared and will understand how to use the camera's better and what we actually can do to make sure that everything we film is how we want it to be.

Here is our preliminary task that we put on youtube:

Matched cut

 A Matched Cut is where there is a familiar relationship between the shots making it seem smooth. It is usually used in action, as the audience will not notice the cut as much as they are too involved with the plot. 


The 180° rule is a rule which states that two characters in a scene, should always be in the same position when the audience looks at them e.g A person always stays on the right of the screen, where as B is always in the left. If the camera crosses the imaginary axis, its called crossing the line. This shot is then called the reverse angle.

the results of survey

1
Crime thriller =8
Religious thriller =10
Scifi thriller =2
2
Gun battle=3
Physical fight=5
Chase through the woods= 12
3
Psychological theme=12
Supernatural theme=8
4
The top three films chosen in ascending order were
1=inception
2=the usual suspects
3=silence of the lambs
5
A=2
B=8
C=5
D=5
6
yes=20
no=0
7
A=2
B=12
C=4
D=2
8
A=17
B=3
9
A=13
B=7
10
A=11
B=9
from this research we can see what people like and dislike in thriller films and we will implement this knoledge into our final production.

this is the questionnaire used when we were researching thriller openings.


1, from the following choices which thriller genre do you prefer?
A-crime thriller B-religious thriller C- sci fi thriller
2, when watching a thriller would you most like to see?
A- Gun battle B-physical fight C- chase through the woods
3, would you prefer a film with an?
A-supernatural theme B- psychological theme
4,out of the following films ring your favourite .
Aliens, Inception, District 9, Memento, Rear Window, Taxi Driver, Sunset Boulevard, The Maltese Falcon, and Sweet Smell of Success, The Usual Suspects, The Fugitive, Jagged Edge. Die Hard, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Bourne Identity, the great escape, the silence of the lambs and north by northwest.
5, how often would you say you watched thriller films?
A-once a week B- once a fortnight C-once a month D-once every six months E- once a year
6, would you be offended by a religious thriller coordinating with the pretext set by Christianity?
A- Yes B-no

7, what would you want from the opening sequence of a thriller
A-car chase B dialogue C-physical fight D-gunfight
8,would you prefer the protagonist to be ?
A- The killer B – the victim

9, would you prefer the main character to be male or female
A-male B- female
10
Do you believe in the paranormal
A-yes B – no

Music for thriller

We want music to be playing throughout our thriller. Some potential songs are:












When we were looking at the music, we noticed that in the first clip "hush little baby" that it was very crackly and that you could not really hear it. Although this would be a good effect, we realised that we would probably be down marked for it.

Analysing Thriller Films.

Inception 


     Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VXkUzf1et4 to watch the opening clip.

The opening scene contains very tense non-diagetic music. The music shows us that something important is about to happen and gets the viewer interested. This music is played over the opening credits when we can see who distributed the film.

The music then suddenly stops as you see the water from the sea crashing over rocks. This immediately changes the mood of the film, from the dramatic 10 seconds with the music to a more calmer feel. There is then a close up on a man who is lying in the sea, in his clothes. The camera flashes to a boy playing on the beach, and then goes back into the close up of the man, starting to look up. The camera then cuts to a two shot, of the little boy playing on the beach being joined by a little girl. The camera cuts back to him, then to the children, and then back to him.

It then goes to a high angled shot, of a man with a gun looking down on him as he is lying face first in the sand. There is a zoomed out shot of a guard starting to walk into a building, then a match cut to a totally different scene.

 The camera then starts to zoom in so that we can see what is inside the room. The camera then cuts to the back of a man who is sitting down. We then see that the man who was found in the beach is being carried in,
in chains. The lighting is very dark and glum, to show that there is something sinister about the place.

The camera tilts upwards so that we can see the man being given some food, and we can see what it is.

Se7en

Location for thriller.

Here is the location for our thriller film. We thought that this would be a suitable location as it is a single, straight road, that not many cars go up. Also the tree's on either side going along the road adds to the spooky effect. We thought that this location would be perfect for the idea that we have come up with for our thriller film.

Thriller opening ides.

1. KIDNAP
  Caroline was just a normal girl, who stuck to a routine day in day out. That changes when she gets kidnapped coming out of school in 1996. 10 years later, its still not been solved and her sister wants to solve the investigation and get revenge, as nothing has never been the same. By herself, she slowly starts progressing as she finds out clues and thinks of why her sister would get in the car that took her. After years of investigating, she finds out some home truths, and discovers something in which she wish she never did...

2.CRIME
   the car-park has always got someone minding it. But the night which no-one is working, and the CCTV camera's break, a murder takes place. On the 6th of November, Caroline, mother of 2 children, gets murdered whilst putting shopping into her car. why her? why the night which everything breaks? DCI Miles has to investigate to find out who did it and discovers that it was planned all along.

3.KIDNAP 2
  No one heard her scream. No one came to help. No one listened to her cries and tried to save her. Now shes back. And she wants revenge. Did you hear her scream? Did you help her? If not, you're next.
 

Premiliniary Work

We have started getting used to the camera's and how to create all different types of shots by creating a shot film. We were told that we had to make sure that the film included different types of cuts and camera angles, and also a little bit of speech. The different camera angles that we used were:
High Angle shot
Over the shoulder shot
Point of view shot
Tracking
Close up

We thought that by using a range of shots we could look at which ones worked best for us, which ones we liked and which ones we didn't like. It also gave us the chance to work with the camera, know how to use it and also get used to using the tri-pod and seeing the different effects we could make the camera have (by using the tri-pod and hand held)

Hero's.

There are many types of "Hero's" in films. You have your typical Hero, the one who you can tell from the very start is destined to do well and will always save the day. Then you have the Hero's who don't always seem like they are going to do very well. They have a lot of things against them, and they are loners.

One example of this could be the Hero that everyone thinks is a failure. They have lost their wives, their kids, they drink, they live alone, they are in a dead end job struggling to see any positives in life. Then, they triumph in the film showing that although you may have things working against you, you can always pull through.

You then have your comical Hero's. A prime example of this could be in the film: "Johnny English". He is seen as a joke because he doesn't quite have the understanding that all the other Agents have. He does hilarious and silly things that make the audience want to see him succeed even more, because they want to prove to the people that doubted him.

An example of the typical Hero could be the Batman. Throughout the whole film there is no question of doubt that he is the Hero, and everyone (from out even hearing or watching the film before) knows that he will succeed and will save the day.

The 180 Degree Rule.

The 180 degree rule is a basic guideline that states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. if the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.







This is a short video clip explaining the 180 degree rule.

The Typical Villan

There are lots of different types of villan's in films. one of them could be the "typical villan". normally, they don't get caught for a long time, because they need to make the story go on for a long time. you can tell that they are evil from the start, because of their appearance of the way that they act. The also sometimes have sidekicks, who are easily influenced and normally weaker then the villan, and fear them so they do everything that they are told. they are easily influenced and attach themselves to them because they think that what they are doing is right.


Some villians stand out. examples of this could be the joker in the batman. you can see by his appearance and the way he talks and acts that he is evil, and they have done this to show the contrast between good and evil, in the form of Batman and the joker.

the villans are normally organised, and get what they want, either by manipulating people or the situation that they are in. they can enjoy the thrills of killing and take pleasure from watching people suffer or making them do what they want them to do.

however, sometimes they are not always obvious. in the channel 4 series "hollyoaks" there is a character called Silas, who has a daughter and grandchildren. he is a murderer but no one ever suspects him because they believe that he is a good man and would never be able to murder anyone.




 


Silas from the channel 4 series Hollyoaks.

the Joker from the film Batman